


Common Ground

by Teneniel



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Anal Sex, Anxiety, Blow Jobs, Fluff and Smut, Foster Care, M/M, Promnis - Freeform, Prompto blushes a lot, coffee shop AU, memelord!ignis, promnised land big bang, tropes galore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-17
Updated: 2017-11-02
Packaged: 2019-01-20 11:36:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 31,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12432006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Teneniel/pseuds/Teneniel
Summary: Prompto is a charismatic barista at an alt culture coffee shop. Ignis is a bright young CPA with his sights on a high-powered career. Put them together and you get two awkward boys who don’t know how to deal with their feelings. Coffee shop AU in a hybrid universe. Mostly modern day but with some in game elements and names.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Let's be real, this is self-indulgent trash. I hope you like it!
> 
> A huge special thank you to Vanthe for stepping up to be my last minute editor!
> 
> I was so excited to have the art done by my special sunshine [Kingcael](http://kingcael.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Come visit me over at [The-Lucian-Archives on Tumblr!](http://the-lucian-archives.tumblr.com/)
> 
> And thanks to all my Salt/Void/KillerKing friends who listened to me whine about this story for months!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ignis was not having a good day.

For starters, he’d dropped egg yolk onto his brand new designer dining chair. Not that it stained, mind, but they had been delivered just yesterday and Ignis wasn’t one to dribble food. Then the construction outside his highrise apartment building had closed the sidewalk, forcing him to walk in the street. A passing car had then splashed filthy rainwater onto his shoes and halfway up his calf, turning him right back around to change.

But the worst of it was here, as he stood in front of the coffee shop he had carefully scoped out this weekend on his “new neighborhood discovery walk.” A “Closed” sign sat passively at eye level, mocking him at 6:45am. Peering closely at the posted hours, he realized they indeed didn’t open until 7am, an unacceptable breach in his morning routine.

“Honestly.” he said irritably, and turned away, heading for the subway station. What kind of coffee shop didn’t open until seven?

Dejected, irritated, and dismayed at what the humidity was doing to his hair, he boarded the train and headed to the business quarter. He would simply have to settle for starting his workday in one of the dreadful crowded large chain shops, the ones with over roasted coffee and overly sweet baked goods.

At least the ride was considerably faster than from his previous home, though the stop was two blocks farther from his office and on a less affluent street.

Stepping out of the underground stairwell, he turned to get his bearings. Spying the iconic Insomnia Inc. tower where his company held its offices, he looked left quickly to clear the alleyway and in the process spotted something quite welcome. A first floor window was painted with a minimalist coffee cup design and a Mod style print broadcasting the name “(un)Common Grounds.”

“Ah,” he brightened at the idea of a modern, upscale coffee shop catered toward business people. Perhaps this morning was redeemable yet.

He quickly crossed the street and pulled open the door, the aroma of well-roasted beans spinning a promising tale indeed. What greeted him beyond the door, however, was anything but the chic Scandinavian inspired paradise he had envisioned. The shop had deep purple painted walls, which displayed surrealist art on varying sized canvases, available for purchase from a “neighborhood artist.” The tables were mismatched and clearly from one or more consignment shops. There were worn but pleasing looking armchairs that had clearly seen a few decades’ style pass them by, and the service counter was plastered in local flyers and bumper stickers that said things like, “This is a Good Bean,” and “It’s a beautiful day now watch some bully heck it up.”

Two baristas worked behind the counter. One was tall and quite plump with a septum piercing and short emerald green hair deeply parted away from an undercut, and was looking over their shoulder with a cheery “Good morning! Be right with you!” as they stirred a drink.  The other was a lean blonde chap who wore a tank top bearing the logo of some obscure band, tight black jeans, and studded leather accessories. He was energetically bobbing his head - which was carefully coiffed, Ignis noted - to the ska music playing in the shop, as he artfully arranged the foam on a mouthwatering looking concoction.

The first barista called out a name and handed a drink across the counter. The customer thanked them and called them Mo, and then it was Ignis's turn.

“What can I get ya today?” Mo asked.

Ignis smiled politely, his eyes flicking to their shirt which said, “Queer AF.”

“Good morning. Do you have Toddy?”

The barista nodded. “All year round.”

Well that was even more promising. “Wonderful. I’d like a grande Toddy iced Americano, half sweet vanilla, with a splash of heavy cream.”

The barista called Mo didn’t even bat an eye at his mouthful of an order - better and better - and cheerfully rang him up.

Ignis looked around as he waited for his drink. The almost purposeful garishness of the shop felt somehow comfortable, though he couldn’t say why. There was an ideal table available in the corner near a window. The windowsill was decorated charmingly with various little bottles made of colorful glass. He sat down and pulled out his laptop to start his pre-workday workday, noting as he glanced up that there were glow in the dark stars on the ceiling, which made him smile because _of course there were._

He had just booted up his laptop and logged into his email when the blonde walked up to his table, drink in hand.

“Heyaz! Half sweet vanilla Toddy iced americano with a splash of heavy cream?”

“Indeed. Though you can call me Ignis, for short,” Ignis said with a wry smile. “I must admit I didn’t expect tableside service.”

The blonde laughed a little too enthusiastically. “Well, Mo forgot to grab your name and since you’re a first timer, I wanted to make sure I got it right.”

Ignis took a sip. The coffee was heavenly - far better than his old shop, he had to admit.

“Perfection itself,” he said genuinely, earning a sunny grin from the barista. “Even better than Ebony beans.”

“Ohoho! An Ebony guy eh? We’ll convert you, just wait. All our beans come from a local small batch roaster. Made with love and sass!”

Ignis chuckled. “I look forward to my rehabilitation.” He wasn’t sure why he said it, as it sounded vaguely flirtatious, but the blonde gave him an “ayyyyyy” and awkward finger guns as he walked away grinning.

Ignis took another sip and indulged in the view of a pert little behind for half a second before getting to work.

By the time he had cleared and filed the fifty-six emails from the weekend, it was 8:20. Perfect, he thought. It would likely take less than ten minutes to walk to his office, which the CEO stubbornly refused to have unlocked before 8:30 to encourage “work-life balance.” Shutting his laptop and stretching, he looked around. The shop had filled up with a motley crew indeed. There were people dressed in suites, in hipster glasses, in outrageous hair colors or gender non-conforming clothing, all clustered around the shabby tables. Some chatted, some had headphones and laptops, some were drawing or writing. It should have felt odd but instead it ignited something warm and comforting within Ignis's chest.

He stood and gathered his things, already looking forward to tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2

Tuesdays were for baking and 80’s alt. Simply because it was 4:30am and Prompto said so. They all took turns on the baking shift, and while the early hour was brutal, it wasn’t so bad once or twice a week. Especially since he got to experiment. Today would be busy. His bacon cinnamon rolls were always a draw. Each baker had their own secret signature pastry and Prompto’s was by far the most popular.

He was just pouring the glaze over the daily lavender shortbread - another of his inventions - when his phone alarm chimed ten minutes to six. Time to start opening.

Boiler on, clean apron secured, sign flipped and door unlocked, he settled in to serve the first few regulars that would be showing up before Mo joined him in half an hour. By the time they were clocked in and ready to go, Prompto had sold fully half of his cinnamon rolls (not including the four “uglies” they reserved for the staff), and pulled dozens of shots without a hitch. They chatted together as they hit their first lull of the morning, washing dishes and tidying up the work space.

“So did your pretty new boy come in again today?” Mo asked him.

“Nah, but he will. My charm is irresistible.”

“Uh huh. I saw you take his coffee to him, Mr. I’m-Never-Crushing-On-Customers-Again.”

“I mean. Even you have to admit the guy was a freaking piece of art.”

“No argument there.” They looked up and their eyebrows shot up suddenly. “Ooooooooh snap! Speak of the devil.” Mo nodded toward the window. Through it, Prompto spied the tall graceful figure of Mr. Americano striding across the street toward the shop, fancy leather messenger bag at his side.

“Told you!” he elbowed Mo and grinned.

“Pretty sure it’s my Toddy brewing skills,” Mo teased.

The door opened and Prompto smiled widely. “Mornin’! Another half sweet grande Toddy iced Americano splash heavy cream?”

The man was visibly surprised. “You remembered my order after just one day?” A small smile played on his _holyshit perfect_ lips.

Prompto could feel his face heating up. He laughed and shrugged, “I’ll be honest. It sounded really good so I made extra and we both tried it.”

“It was goooooood,” Mo put in, already working on his drink.

Prompto nodded. “Bet it would go great with one of my coveted bacon cinnamon rolls.” He waggled his brows suggestively. The man - Ignis, if he remembered correctly - Looked down at the pastry display case and his eyes widened. _His lips really were perfect though._  

“Good heavens, I’d be dead by afternoon if I ate one of those myself.”

“But what a way to go, eh?” Prompto laughed awkwardly at his own joke. _Awesome Prompto._

“Indeed,” Ignis agreed, which Prompto found outrageously adorable. His fancy accent made everything sound so sophisticated. “Perhaps I will try the shortbread and forestall an untimely death, however.”

“Fair enough! So, can I talk you into a punch card? Ten drinks earns you a free one!” _Please keep coming back you’resobeautiful._ Okay, Prompto needed to calm his hormones. He wasn’t going to ever date another customer ever again, remember? _But there’s no harm in looking._ Okay yeah that was fair. Admiring was okay.

“Sold,” Ignis said with a smile.

“Aaaaaalllll right! Let me just grab your info...name?”

“Ignis,” he said pleasantly. Ah, good, Prompto had remembered correctly. “Ignis Scientia.”

“Ignis, alll business,” Prompto intoned as he punched in Ignis's contact details.

“Alas, I’m afraid that’s true,” Ignis said ruefully, taking his finished order from Mo and thanking them. He settled in to the same table from the day before and got out his laptop, disappearing into whatever he was working on with a focus Prompto could never hope to match. _Too perfect,_ he thought as he _totally didn’t_ keep sneaking glances across the shop.

“Smooth,” Mo mouthed to him, and Prompto shrugged. It didn’t matter. He’d managed to talk the most beautiful man in the world into coming regularly AND the long rainy spring was finally giving way to sunny weather. It was a good day.

By Thursday, Prompto had memorized what time Ignis came in - 6:48 on the dot - and on Friday he had his drink waiting for him as he walked through the door.

Prompto’s efforts were rewarded with a smile and some solid eye contact. _Green._   _Green eyes so pretty._ “Goodness, you certainly know how to make a person feel welcome. Does every customer enjoy this kind of service?”

“Only the ones we like!” Prompto said with a wink. _Gods, seriously Prompto?_

“Is that so?” Ignis replied with a wry smile. Wait, was he _flirting? What if he was? Oh gods red alert red alert abandon post we will not go down this path, we will fight, we will never surren--_

Ignis cleared his throat and nodded his thanks before turning away, a hint of a smile on his lips. Prompto realized he had been standing there with a smile frozen on his face for gods know how long. _Why do I have to be so awkward?_

It must not have bugged Ignis too much, because he kept coming back. Day after day, without fail, he’d show up with the same order, chat with Prompto for a bit, do his computer work, and leave right at 8:20. It was the best and most nerve wracking two hours of his workday.

Over the weeks Prompto had gone from thinking of Ignis as - _holy shit too perfect and way outta my league,_  to - _interesting, charming, smooth and holy shit too perfect way way outta my league,_ to - _I really wish I was in his league because he is amazing._

Their little daily talks were easy and amicable - something that surprised Prompto. He thought of himself as plain, scatterbrained, and wholly uneducated. While Ignis...well Ignis was the shining example of what a human could be. Handsome, focused, educated, brilliant...he couldn’t see what they could possibly have in common. And yet, they talked like old friends almost from the start.

Ignis laughed at his silly jokes and played off his banter without missing a beat. His slightly off-kilter humor didn’t seem to phase him in the least. He always got Prompto’s references, made some of his own, and his eyes crinkled up in the most adorable way when Prompto would use exaggerated voices and gestures to tell stories.

And oh boy. By midsummer, Prompto had it pretty bad.

He didn’t think too much of it at first - he was always pining after someone or another. Collecting people and their stories was something Prompto enjoyed. But it didn’t fade after three weeks, or four, or two months. He craved more and more. He found himself daydreaming of Ignis on office days, or seeing things in shops and thinking _this would make such a good gift for him._ His face made more and more frequent appearances in his fantasies when Prompto was alone in his tiny apartment.

Everyone at work gave him shit for it. But they also cheered him on. Especially Mo, who would make a point of backing off conversation and picking up any slack to let Prompto and Ignis chat as long as possible.

Thankfully, he had plenty to keep himself occupied. By now he’d all but taken over the daily operations of the shop, and was nearly done saving for his down payment to buy it out from the current owner, Molly. _Focus, dude. You got this._

As with most things, Prompto decided to put on a smile, go out into the world, and fake the shit out of it until he could make it.


	3. Chapter 3

Ignis spent the whole of the summer enjoying his new routine. And as the weeks wore on, he came to eagerly look forward to his mornings at the coffee shop. _It’s the best coffee I’ve ever had._ He told himself. _The atmosphere is warm and inviting_. _The staff is friendly and personable._ Ah. Yes, that was the long and the short of it. The part Ignis tried painfully hard to ignore.

It had become a bit of a worrisome distraction.

Everywhere he went, he found his mind wandering to the cheerful blonde barista. He imagined dining at this restaurant, or going to that concert together. He saw advertisements for river cruises and received invitations for black tie fundraisers and imagined Prompto in each setting. He wondered if it was bordering on unhealthy.

There were times that Ignis thought he sensed returned interest, but there was no way to be sure. _He’s paid to be nice. Don’t be that guy, Ignis._

His productivity before work had gone downhill as he found himself sneaking glances his way. He surreptitiously watched his interactions with other customers, and compared them to his own. Analyzing and overanalyzing these mornings had taken over a large portion of his attention.

Each morning, Prompto greeted him cheerfully, drink at the ready whenever possible. Ignis stayed and chatted with him until another customer came in. Occasionally, if he was lucky, their talks could last ten minutes or more. He’d definitely never seen anyone else regularly keep Prompto’s attention for so long.

Ignis sighed and rolled his shoulders, forcing his attention back to his laptop. There was nothing for it. He couldn’t be the one to initiate a relationship outside of their professional one. It was rude and a horrid breach of trust to do so as the customer.

 _Besides, you’ve a career to focus on._ After his last long term relationship, he’d sworn off dating until he was at a certain point in his career. _No sense in distracting from the goal._ And, much as he hated to admit it, he was uncertain how well his...preference in partners would go over in the world of finance. He’d worked tirelessly to eliminate every obstacle to his ascension up the ranks. It wasn’t fear, he told himself, merely practicality.

No sense in distracting from the goal. 

-

“He likes you, you know.” Mo said as Prompto waved Ignis goodbye one hot August morning.

“He likes my coffee,” Prompto deflected.

“And your butt. I’ve caught him looking.”

“I know that’s a lie ‘cause don’t have a butt!” Prompto laughed. Then he sighed. “I wanna get married and have his babies.”

Mo snorted. “I’m sure you two would have the most beautiful babies, if that were biologically possible.”

“He’s just so _pretty._ And fancy. And smart. And funny.”

“Kid’s got it bad,” Mo said to noone in particular.

“But did you see his _hands?_ ”

“Prompto, for real though, I’ve seen you through a lot of customer crushes. A. Lot.”

Prompto winced. “Yeah yeah.”

“AND,” Mo continued, “This one is different.”

Prompto couldn’t say why, but he felt that way too. He decided to take the bait. “Different how?” he asked, as he busied himself cleaning up the dishes from the morning rush, but his attention was on Mo. He knew they’d give him an honest answer, no matter what the question.

“Well,” they said, smacking grounds out of a filter, “for one thing, you’re not a hot mess around him.”

“HA! That’s...wrong.”

“No really. You’re flirty and energetic, but way more grounded and calm than usual. Normally you’re like on the ceiling.”

Okay maybe that was true. He did feel a certain sense of... _rightness_ around him.

“And,” they went on, “You really listen when he talks. You keep eye contact. Normally you’re just kinda everywhere and...performing? With this guy, you’re engaging. Like you do with your friends.”

Mo in with the hard truths. As always.

“Maybe. Still doesn’t mean he likes me.”

“Trust me man. He does. He stands here and talks to you as long as possible every single day.”

“Maybe he just wants to be buds. He’s probably like on the lookout for the perfect wife so he can buy a fancy house uptown and like raise perfect children to become lawyers and stuff.”

Mo laughed, hard. “Wife. Uh huh.”

Prompto decided to let that one go.


	4. Chapter 4

Occasionally, the break room coffee pot just wouldn’t do and Ignis longed for a real afternoon cup. One look out the window at the bright sun and the hints of yellow on the trees below, and he knew this was one of those days. He closed his software program and grabbed his jacket, heading to the lifts without a second thought.

The air outside held the first real chill of the year, heralding autumn’s impending arrival. Perhaps it was time to swap to his wintertime drink. The idea of cradling a warm cup in the cool air was pleasing, and he quickened his pace so that he could justify a slower walk back.

Much as he loved his coffee shop, there was always something a little empty about it in the afternoons. He tried very hard not to think about why as he pushed the door open, only to find Prompto behind the counter talking to the dark haired barista that sometimes served him on these late day outings.

Something leapt in his chest and he had to fight to keep a pleasantly neutral face as Prompto turned to greet him, a huge smile blossoming over his face when he recognized Ignis.

“Hey man! Nice to see you on this side of the day!”

“Likewise, and a surprise to see you, at that. I’m quite sure I haven’t seen you here in the afternoon before.”

“Oh yeah, I work a double on Thursdays.”

“I suppose I’ve never come in on a Thursday afternoon, come to think on it.” _Perhaps it’s time for that to change._ The thought flitted through his mind before he had a chance to quash it. Still, the opportunity to see Prompto twice in one day was something he filed away under “not unpleasant.”

“We getting your iced Americano goin?”

“Ah, actually I think it’s time I switch to my autumn drink. Lightly sweet autumn spiced latte please. Hot.”

“‘Tis the season!” Prompto sang as he rang him up.

Ignis paid and searched for something to say. The dark haired barista started grinding the beans for his drink and Prompto had just looked up and opened his mouth to speak when Ignis's phone buzzed in his pocket.

“Ah, a moment, please,” he said, retrieving it.

Prompto gestured for him to go ahead, and he looked at the screen. One of his team members, calling through his forwarded desk phone. He sighed. “Apologies, I need to take this.”

Prompto nodded and waved as he stepped out, answering politely but mentally cursing the person on the other line. 

- 

“You gotta give him your number man. He’s not gonna do it because he knows it’s rude.”

“I don’t even know if he’s interested!”

Noct turned to give Prompto the most emphatic eyeroll he’d ever seen. And he had seen _a lot_ of Noct’s eyerolls. “It’s time, dude. If you don’t do it, I’m gonna.”

“Wait, you’re gonna give him your number?? Or mine?”

Noctis just shrugged and smirked.

“Unfair!” He whined. Noct totally would, too. And he’d embarrass the shit out of him in the process just as punishment. What a brat. _Fine. Fine okay, fine._ He could do this. He took a paper cup and wrote his number and name on it, along with a little cartoon chocochick illustration. Then he _very firmly_ shoved a drink sleeve up to cover the writing and slammed the cup down for Noct to pour the shots.

Noctis sighed and rolled his eyes again. “That does _not_ count, dude.”

Prompto shrugged and smiled innocently as he started to pour the milk over the shots. “You didn’t say how, only when. Not my fault if he doesn’t see it.” He was saved from whatever Noct was opening his mouth to say by Ignis walking back in.

“Apologies. My fault for trying to step out for more than two minutes,” he said, a tone of not-quite-bitterness in his voice.

“No problems here! Just finished up your drink,” Prompto said, capping the cup and sliding it across the counter.

“Ah, thank you. I appreciate the packaging, though it’s almost a shame it’s already lidded. I do enjoy your art.” He smiled, but it quickly faded. “I regret I can’t stay and chat today. Seems I’m needed back at the office”

“No problem, man! See you in the morning!” Prompto waved and quickly found something to do at the sink. He wasn’t sure if he was more terrified of Ignis finding his number or _not_ finding it. _But he said he likes my latte art._ The door chimed and shut, and Noct bumped his shoulder.

“Proud of you dude. You’re a grownup now,” he said, and ruffled his hair.

“Yeah, yeah,” Prompto replied, shoving him out of the way and rolling his eyes.

The rest of the day passed in a steady stream of customers and tasks, and before Prompto knew it, it was 5:30 and they were ready to wind down for the day. He was just clearing out the last of the pastry case when his phone buzzed in his pocket.

His heart jumped. _Calm down dude it’s probably not him. It’s been hours._ He quickly wiped his hands off and slid his phone out of his pocket, missing his password on the first two tries. Finally he got it unlocked. There was a text from an unknown number:

 

 

> [Unknown] **:** I’d like to file a formal complaint. Your heat sleeves have a tendency to slip down your take away cups.

 

Prompto stood stunned, grinning at his phone. He quickly saved the number under Ignis's name and thought out a reply.

“Told you,” Noct’s voice was _right_ in his ear, startling him. 

“Agh, back off, dude!” He pushed him hard, and Noctis skipped backwards, laughing. “Just for that, you can be on trash duty.”

Noct whined but stomped off to comply, leaving Prompto to compose a reply.

 

 

> [Prompto]: Thank you for your feedback, valued customer. I’ll pass your complaint to the owners.
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: I suppose, in the interest of full honesty, I should mention that it only fell when I put the cup down a bit harder than customary.
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: ohhhhhh, butterfingers?
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: Irritation. Though it cleared as soon as I saw your note. I particularly like the chocochick drawing.
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: thanks! it’s just about the only thing I can draw ahaha. I’m working on a chocochick latte art but the best I’ve been able to do is a zu
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: That’s impressive. I’d love to see that.
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: I’ll try it next time, but it works better on a drier drink like a cappuccino
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: I enjoy a cappuccino from time to time. If you’ve time tomorrow, I’d be happy to switch it up for the sake of art.
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: you got it!
> 
> [Prompto]: uh oh I better go close. I’m getting the stink eye. text more later?
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: Yes, I’ll message you when I’m home from the gym.
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: go get swole! [flex emoji]

 

He put his phone down and turned to Noctis with a huge smile. Noct just rolled his eyes and handed him the mop, but Prompto swore he saw the edges of a smile as he turned away.

-

Ignis was lying in bed, still texting Prompto deep into the night. For the most part, they had been talking about their days. Then Prompto had asked about Ignis's life aspirations. _“To_ _become the youngest CFO in company history”_ sounded like a lofty goal, but he felt he was well on the way. Prompto had given him an encouraging “If anyone can do it, it’s definitely you, dude.”

In turn, he was surprised to learn that Prompto was on his way to buying the coffee shop. Ignis had asked him an endless string of questions about operations, where they bought ingredients, how they decided on new drinks and events, and on and on. It was fascinating.

Ignis thought of his own office. Sterile, modern, beautiful, and thoroughly boring. He sighed, envying Prompto’s upbeat workplace. _Speaking of work…_

 

 

> [Ignis]: I regret to say I must try and get some sleep. I’ll be a mess when I come see you tomorrow at this rate.
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: okay dude have a great night! sorry for keeping you up so late >.<
> 
> [Prompto]: also thanks for texting me :D
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: I should thank you, you’re the one who initiated the exchange of numbers.
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: yah but you could have pretended not to see it XD
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: I would never. Goodnight, Prompto.
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: night!

 

Ignis lay back, a smile on his face and a sigh on his lips. It had been such a long time since he’d felt butterflies like this. And to think it might be reciprocated…

No, it was too early for that. He wasn’t even sure if Prompto preferred men. The last thing he wanted to do was spoil a perfectly good budding friendship...not to mention lose the best coffee shop he’d ever frequented. For now, he’d be content in making a new friend his age - something he desperately needed. His life had become all work, no play. Perhaps he was too entrenched in routine. Prompto’s spontaneity was enchanting. His wit was as quick as Ignis's own, but he used it differently, and that intrigued him.

He sighed and placed his phone on his night stand, rolling over to turn off the lamp. He fell asleep thinking of freckles and soulful indigo eyes.

Next morning, Ignis paid extra careful attention to his appearance. He wore his favorite shirt and tie, spent a bit of extra time on his hair, and was much more careful about shaving than usual. He chose his favorite gloves, lint rolled his wool coat, and shined his shoes. When he was satisfied that he looked presentable, he stepped out to catch his train.

The ride seemed longer than usual. He fidgeted, checking and rechecking his messenger bag for lack of a better activity. He was just walking up the stairs to street level at his final stop when his phone chimed.

 

 

> [Prompto]: NAILED IT! HURRY!

 

Ignis smiled to himself and walked quickly across to the shop. As soon as he was through the door Prompto was waving him over excitedly to the counter. In a wide cappuccino cup, there was a gorgeous bird, two distinct sets of wings extended around the sides.

“That is...highly impressive,” he said honestly. “I hardly want to drink it.”

“That’d be a mistake, it’s delish,” said Mo, raising a similar cup. “That was his third try.”

“Uhhhh, shhhhh, telling him all my secrets,” Prompto laughed. Ignis grinned in reply. “Oh hey did you get a haircut?”

“Not recently,” Ignis said smoothly. Though he was positively thrilled that his extra attention this morning hadn’t gone unnoticed.

“Huh, well you look extra sharp today!” he said, with a crooked smile.

“Ah, nothing special, I assure you.” Perhaps he was fibbing just a bit.

“Dude what? You’re like...the finest specimen of sharp dressed man.”

“Prompto you did not just call a customer a specimen.” Mo called over their shoulder.

“It’s all right, I assure you. They let me out of my display case to get coffee,” Ignis said lightly. Internally he was practically dancing. _He thinks I’m a fine specimen._

“Lucky us,” Prompto said, laughing.

He felt a pang of disappointment when he heard the door open behind him, but he masked it with a smile and took his cup to his table to start his day.


	5. Chapter 5

[Saturday, September 9, 9:22am]

 

> [Mo]: can’t believe I had to hear this from him but Noct said you finally got his digits
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: yah because he blackmailed me
> 
>  
> 
> [Mo]: Ignis blackmailed you?? He doesn’t seem the type. What did he do??
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: no noct did
> 
>  
> 
> [Mo]: oooooh yeah that deffo makes sense
> 
> [Mo]: sooooo are you going on a date or not?
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: idk this was like two days ago!
> 
> [Prompto]: do you think he wants to???
> 
>  
> 
> [Mo]: yes
> 
> [Mo]: AND
> 
> [Mo]: I ship it
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: mo this isn’t one of your dirty fanfics u cant ship real ppl
> 
>  
> 
> [Mo]: I do what I want

 

-

 

[Monday, September 18th, 6:22am]

 

> [Prompto]: *gasp* someone is at your table
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: Kill them.
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: idk man isn’t that like, illegal?
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: How should I know? I only know tax law. Just do it. I have resources.
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: *grabs a knife* *sighs* okay iggy anything you say
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: Yes good. Be there in a moment.
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: :D

 

-

 

[Friday, September 29th, 10:37am]

 

> [Prompto]: dude did you ever realize
> 
> [Prompto]: the opposite of firefly is waterfall
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: [philosoraptor.jpg]
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: omfg i haven’t seen that since high school lmao. how did u get that so fast?
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: [itsamystery.jpg]
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: ...omfg you have a whole folder on your phone of memes dont you
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: everything i know about the world is tumbling down around me
> 
>  
> 
> _Ignis is typing..._

 

-

 

[Friday, September 29th, 2:46pm]

 

> [Prompto]: Dude. DUDE.
> 
>  
> 
> [Noctis]: whaaaaaaaaaaaaat?
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: He’s a memelord
> 
>  
> 
> [Noctis]: who?
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: Ignis dude! Who else?
> 
>  
> 
> [Noctis]: the fancy suit guy? No way
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: I’M SERIOUS he’s a fucking memelord! :D
> 
>  
> 
> [Noctis]: proof
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: [screenshot00038898.jpg]
> 
> [Prompto]: [screenshot00038899.jpg]
> 
> [Prompto]: [screenshot00038900.jpg]
> 
>  
> 
> [Noctis]: …
> 
> [Noctis]: holy shit
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: RIGHT???
> 
>  
> 
> [Noctis]: those are some deep cuts man. He knows his shit
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: this is only like 10% of the shit that just went down
> 
> [Prompto]: this pretty much dispels your theory about him being an alien
> 
> [Prompto]: or that he’s actually 65 but he drinks his own piss to stay young looking
> 
>  
> 
> [Noctis]: idk man the alien thing still holds water if you ask me
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: ...I’m blocking this number
> 
>  
> 
> [Noctis]: awww don’t be like thaaaat
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: who dis?
> 
>  
> 
> [Noctis]: >:(
> 
> [Noctis]: arcade later? You can bring your memelord boyfriend if you want
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: he’s not my boyfriend :o we don’t even hang out. just text random shit
> 
> [Prompto]: but yah i’ll see you there after office hours

 

-

 

[Wednesday, October 4th, 1:22pm]

 

> [Ignis]: Did you know that if you accidentally microwave a whole pickle, it explodes?
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: yah man everyone knows that
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: ...Well yes, *now* everyone knows.
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: you didnt
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: In my defense, I didn’t realize there was a pickle in there. I was merely warming up my tepid panini.
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: [facepalm emoji]
> 
> [Prompto]: is it bad?
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: Only in the take away box, thankfully.
> 
> [Ignis]: Though now the breakroom smells of hot pickle.
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: [tearsofjoy emoji]


	6. Chapter 6

Noct yawned while tying on his apron. “So how’s your romance with mister prim and proper meme trash gong?”

Prompto turned away and shrugged. “I told you, no romance! Just texting random stuff.”

“Yeah but that was weeks ago.”

Prompto shrugged again and fiddled with a filter. “I think he just wants to be buds. Which is fine!” he said with forced cheer. _Totally fine. Right._ He turned around to see Noct giving him a decidedly disbelieving look. “What?”

Noctis held his gaze for a few seconds then shrugged. “Whatever dude. Got any uglies today?”

“Do you not eat before you get here?” Prompto pretended to be irritated but he was already plating up the rejects of Mo’s “Fat Monkey” peanut butter banana pull aparts. Noct may have seemed aloof and emotionally constipated, but Prompto knew he was a lot more intuitive than he let on. All the same, he decided Noct could microwave his own damn free snack, shoving the plate at him with an innocent look.

Noct took the plate with a mock scowl and shuffled off to heat it up. The shop was all but empty at this time of the morning. “So other than memes, what kind of random stuff do you text about?”

Prompto wasn’t really in the mood for Noct’s interrogation. But he was also dying to talk to someone about his feelings candidly. He knew Noct would push him though and that wasn’t something Prompto could handle right now. He really liked Ignis. Beyond being like the most beautiful person on the planet, he genuinely liked chatting with him. Even if it was just for a few minutes every day. He shrugged noncommittally. “You know. Stuff. Weather, weird customers, complaining about being bored, adorable animals. The usual.”

“Wow, you two are candidates for ‘Exciting Couple of the Year.” Noct said, rolling his eyes and taking his pastry out of the microwave. He picked it apart and shoved a big piece in his mouth, “When you gonna bang him?” His words were muffled with sticky peanut butter and gooey dough.

“Don’t, dude.” Prompto said flatly. His reputation as a One Date Wonder was a good natured joke around the shop. One that Prompto never mentioned bothered him. A lot. He knew he was shitty at relationships. It’s not like he’d ever had a good one as an example. Well, except for Noct of course. But that was high school and Noct wasn’t into the physical stuff like Prompto was, so they had made the wise decision to be good friends instead, which suited them both much better.

Noctis finished chewing slowly, watching Prompto all the while. He took a cup and filled it with drip coffee, took a sip, and put the cup down. “Damn dude. I didn’t realize. You really do have it for this guy.”

Prompto sighed. No matter how much he tried, he could never hide his feelings from Noct. The peppy outgoing facade was something most people were perfectly happy to take at face value. But Noct liked to brush it away like a fly and get right to the meat of Prompto’s feelings. _The ass._

“It doesn’t matter. You know me. I fall in love every other week. It’ll pass.” He gave an awkward laugh, and a wave of relief washed over him as a customer walked through the door. Noctis made a dubious noise behind him but Prompto ignored it, greeting the customer heartily and glad for the distraction. 

-

Ignis drummed his fingers restlessly against his desk while he waited for his report to run. It was a beautiful autumn day and the last thing he wanted to be doing was sitting inside staring at a screen. Quarterly taxes were done and filed, so his team was playing catch up on some decidedly uninteresting projects they had put on the back burner for the last month.

A small voice in the back of his head questioned whether the fact that it was Thursday had anything to do with his fidgeting, but he chose to ignore it.

 _Lots of people duck away for afternoon coffee._ Damn his treacherous mind. Okay so maybe Ignis was thinking about stylish blonde hair and a creamy face flecked with freckles more than he cared to admit. He had wracked his brain for something to message him about today but had come up short. It was no use. Ignis was stiff and boring, while Prompto was all exuberance and intrigue. Their correspondence had barely gone beyond polite small talk and ridiculous meme wars in the last few weeks. He wasn’t sure who was keeping whom at a distance but it definitely felt as though at least one of them was.

The report finished just as Ignis was wrestling with whether or not to be the one to test the boundaries of this texting relationship. He clicked through the finalizing process and shot a copy to his team and his superior. Perhaps Prompto was more reserved than he appeared. Ignis had certainly got a vibe of interest from him more than once, but now he was having second thoughts. It could be that he realized how uninteresting Ignis was. He really was nothing more than a designer suit in a sea of smart gray blazers when it came right down to it. At least as much as Prompto could see.

Ignis clicked around listlessly, looking for some small project to keep his interest for the last three hours of work. He picked up his phone, opened the messaging app, put it back down again. He went to Hacker Typer and keysmashed out some frustration before letting out a huff and picking up his phone again.

 

> [Ignis]: Do you suppose it is possible to die of boredom, as they say? I must admit I was dubious until this very moment.
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: Oh hell yeah dude. I guarantee. RIP Ignis.
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: [guessilldie.jpg]
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: lmfao dude
> 
> [Prompto]: I’ll come to your funeral
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: It’ll be the most boring funeral of the year. I don’t recommend it. They’ll serve plain ham sandwiches made with butter, and only water to drink.
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: The music will just be a loop of the first three notes of the funeral march
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: The speaker will talk about my accomplishments in tax accounting.
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: The flowers are all just white carnations
> 
> [Prompto]: Plot twist: everyone dies of boredom by the end
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: No, that’s entirely too interesting. Everyone will go home and have plain buttered pasta for dinner. With a side of canned peas.
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: Nooooooooooo! Ahahaha
> 
> [Prompto]: Sorry, I fell asleep for a second there. What were we talking about? XD

 

Ignis could feel a ridiculous grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. _Fuck it._ He opened an email to his direct supervisor.

 

[Thursday, November 9th, 1:56pm]

> Mr. Amicitia,
> 
>  
> 
> My team has performed exceedingly well over the past month. Our queue of projects is dwindling, and I have decided to offer them the afternoon off to enjoy the last of the sunny weather.
> 
> I hope you enjoy your day,
> 
>  
> 
> Ignis Scientia  
>  Team Lead, Tax Division

 

He pressed send and immediately received an auto reply advising him that Clarus would be out of the office until tomorrow morning.

Of course. Ignis was behind on the company “work life balance” culture yet again. Well, at least this time he took the initiative without needing to be prodded into it. He shut his computer down and grabbed his jacket from the coat rack in the corner of his office. Pushing open the glass door he cleared his throat and his team looked up from their workstations. From the guilty way they all quickly switched tabs he surmised they had all been browsing social media anyway. “What’s say we take the afternoon? Nothing pressing in the queue and it’s a beautiful day.”

They all blinked at him for a moment before quickly chattering their assent and packing up for the day. Ignis smiled, nodded, and headed towards the lifts. He typed out a quick text to Prompto about fancying an afternoon cup and sent it just as the lift doors closed.

Stepping out into the bright late autumn afternoon was almost exhilarating compared to the intense boredom he had been experiencing all day. He knew he didn’t want to spend another unnecessary minute indoors. Perhaps he’d take his coffee for a walk and catch his train farther up the line. It was almost a shame Prompto was working. It would be lovely to invite him along. He imagined walking side by side with Prompto, the smell of coffee beans lingering on his clothes as Ignis leaned in to catch what he was saying over the sound of the traffic. Accidental brushes of elbows and shoulders would morph into tentative touches and they would stop to wait for a crossing signal. Ignis would reach out to brush a lock of hair off of Prompto’s face…

 _Get it together, Scientia._ He shook himself out of his ridiculous daydream and crossed the side street to reach the coffee shop. The little bell above the door tinkled as he let himself in, only to find that he was at the end of a rather long queue. No matter, he had all the time in the world. It seemed everyone in the city had the same idea as he. The forecast called for unseasonably early snow the following day, so most people were one step ahead of him, gathering coffee and taking in the sunny weather while it was still possible.

Finally it was his turn and nobody else had come in. Prompto greeted him with a flushed but cheerful, “Heya! Sorry, I didn’t get your drink started ahead of time. We had a sudden rush.”

“So I see. I assure you it’s no problem. Perhaps I’ll try something new. What do you recommend?”

“Honestly I’ve been thinking you’d really like the Naga. If you’re ready to branch out from autumn spice, I’d say go for it!”

Ignis found the descriptor on the specials board. A double strong dark chocolate mocha lightly sweetened with molasses. That _did_ sound like something he’d enjoy. He was surprised he hadn’t seen it before. “Sounds perfect. I’m impressed.”

Prompto grinned, freckles popping out against a pink blush. “Great! I can’t wait to hear your opinion. Be honest though, okay?”

“But of course.” Ignis paid and moved to the side, lingering near the counter a bit awkwardly. The dark haired barista was working on his shots while Prompto prepped the rest of the drink.

He watched as milk was steamed and chocolate syrup pumped. Prompto glanced back at him. “Whatcha up to? Did you find some exciting spreadsheet to kick the boredom?” He smiled crookedly and handed the cup to his partner for the coffee shots.

“Funny.” He deadpanned, but let the edges of his mouth turn up a bit. “Actually, I remembered that I’m the boss, and decided to tell everyone to leave and enjoy the weather. I think I fancy a walk before the snow comes in.”

“Ohoho! Perks of being in charge!”

“Prompto, you haven’t had your lunch break yet right?” the dark haired barista asked suddenly.

Prompto was pouring out the steamed milk. He arranged it artfully into a heart with twin rosetta curving around the edges of the paper cup. He handed it across to Ignis with a flourish, plopped a lid down on the counter, and then turned to his partner and shook his head. “Nah. Was waiting for the rush to die down a bit.”

“Now’s perfect. And I’m actually starving. Could you grab me some ramen from Ichi’s?” He took out his wallet and Prompto groaned.

“Dude no, not this again. I’m not spending my lunch break being your lackey.”

“Pleeeease?” He handed a large bill over to Prompto. “You can get something for yourself and your friend, too. Ichi’s is the best. It’s the _only_ ramen, Prompto.” He had a very convincing earnest face, in Ignis's opinion. Prompto glared at his partner for several long seconds but was meet with bland indifference. Ignis took a sip of quite possibly the best coffee he’d ever had in his life, and pretended not to watch. He knew he should turn away and leave them to their spat, but he was far too amused. Besides, he had a sneaking suspicion that ramen wasn’t the only motivator for the barista’s behavior. Now might just be his chance to indulge in his little daydream from earlier.

“Isn’t Ichi’s the place just across the park?” Ignis asked mildly.

“Yes.” Prompto said shortly. “The one all the way across the park. The one that you literally walk past three other perfectly good ramen shops to get to.”

The raven haired man shrugged. “Like I said. It’s the best.”

“If it’s any help to you, Prompto, I was thinking of walking the park myself. I’d be happy to walk you there if you wouldn’t mind some company.” He pushed his glasses up his nose to hide the blush he knew was forming there. “I’ve been isolated in a glass zoo all day and I’m feeling a bit restless.”

Prompto blinked at Ignis, looked back at the barista, sighed, and took the bill. “I’m not bringing back change.”

The man shrugged and grinned. “Thanks man. You’re the best. And thank you Prompto’s friend. You’re gonna make my stomach really happy.”

“A mutually beneficial arrangement I assure you…?”

“Noctis. Noct is fine.”

“Noct. Pleased to formally meet you. I’m Ignis.” He reached over to shake Noct’s hand. Prompto was hanging up his apron and grabbing his coat.

“Yeah, I’ve heard _a lot_ about you. Prompto won’t shut up about you honestly.”

“AND we’re off. Thanks so much _best buddy.”_ Prompto cut him off with a glare, slipping on his coat. Ignis hid an amused smile and they turned to leave the shop. Prompto held the door for them and turned at the last minute, making some sort of gesture to Noctis that Ignis couldn’t see. Noct only smiled sweetly and waved in reply.

The afternoon sun cast everything in a beautiful golden light. There was still plenty of daylight left, but the lateness of the year always lent a particular quality of light that Ignis loved. As if listening in on his thoughts, Prompto took a deep, satisfying breath and let it out. “Man I love this light. This time of year is so great for photos. Everything looks golden and dreamy. It’s even better when you’ve got some fall color in there. It’s like...a warm and cozy color party!” He grimaced a little and laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head.

Ignis nodded, glancing over at him. “Ah yes, the shop owner, Molly is it?” Prompto nodded and he continued. “Molly told me you taught youth photography classes. Is that something you’re planning to make a career of?” He took a sip of his coffee and they stopped at a traffic light, waiting for the signal to turn.

“Nah the class is just something I do for the kids. It’s only an hour a week for this low income after school program, but we also do this awesome camp every summer. It’s a whole week up in the mountains. The kids stay in these cabins and get to hike and swim and take different classes. So I do nature photography up there. It’s pretty sweet actually. A lot of them get really into it and go home all excited to compose pictures. Sometimes I even get emails from kids that I’ve taught a few years later with stuff they’re proud of, or contests they’re entering.” The signal turned and they started walking across the street to enter the southeastern edge of the park. “It really makes me feel good when that happens. Makes it all so worth it.”

“Are you not paid?”

“Nope. It’s all volunteer. Well the organizers are paid but the instructors are volunteers. So sometimes we have different programs, depending on who signs on. I’ve been doing it forrrrr seven years now? Yeah. I mean. Not counting the years I was _in_ the program.”

“Ah, so you’re an alumnus?” They reached the park gates and walked onto a wide paved path. There were far fewer people here than Ignis had guessed there would be.

Prompto laughed and turned to skip-walk sort of sideways so he could face Ignis. “You could say that. We got automatically qualified in foster care. It was a nice way for all the foster parents to keep us out of the house for a few extra hours a week.”

Ignis slowed his pace and met Prompto’s eyes. “I’d no idea you were in foster care. Did you lose your parents?”

“Nah we just don't talk. At all.”  
  
“Not a great relationship?” Ignis internally cringed. If he’d ended up in foster care, that was likely a vast understatement.  
  
“Nope!” Prompto sang. “They seem to be under the impression that I'm on the express path to eternal damnation. Or going through a phase. Or both? It’s not totally clear. Either way they haven’t been in my life since I was 14. Caught me smoochin’ a boy and they locked me out. Again. But that time they never did let me back in. I’m a graduate of The System.” He forced a laugh and shrugged. “I mean, I was in and out of foster care before then, so it wasn’t a new thing.” He fiddled with a wide leather bracelet and shrugged again.  
  
“Ah. That does make things difficult. I’m sorry that happened to you.” Ignis wrestled with his feelings. He would never wish neglect or abuse on anyone of course and he was truly sorry Prompto had experienced it. But it did come with a revelation that one potential obstacle was not there. _He does like men._ The relief in knowing that was palpable, but he pushed it aside to examine at a later time.  
  
Prompto shrugged again. “Eh, I mean, they weren’t exactly stellar parents. But that’s no fun to talk about. What about you? Do you go home for the holidays to a fancy house and sweaters and all that?”  
  
Ignis shook his head. “My parents are sixteen years gone.”

“Oh shit dude, I’m so sorry. That’s a lonely way to grow up. Who raised you?”

“My uncle. The only living relative I have left. He does his best. He definitely pushes me to achieve what he calls my ‘full potential.’”  
  
“Man. I’m sorry.” Prompto said again. “Do you still miss your parents? Wait, that was a dumb question. Of course you do I’m so sorry.”

Ignis laughed. “It’s all right, I assure you. I do miss them. Or at least the idea of them. While I think of them from time to time, I had a series of nannies who did most of the legwork of parenting. I’m not sure I even saw my parents every day. I seem to remember that they were often on some trip or another. They were good people, I believe.” He paused and glanced sideways, catching Prompto’s eye. “Though they were also under the mistaken impression that I preferred the company of girls, if I’m honest.”  
  
Prompto gave a relieved laugh. “Pfft parents. What do they know amirite?”  
  
“Indeed.”

They arrived at the ramen shop and Ignis held the door for Prompto, tossing his empty cup into the trash can just inside the door. “This was absolutely delicious, by the way. You know my tastes all too well.”

Prompto laughed and shrugged again. “Coffee is my job so that’s easy, but I’m ready to level up. Have you eaten?”

Ignis shook his head, realizing he’d missed lunch. It wasn’t uncommon, but there really was no excuse today. Work was painfully slow. The aroma of the shop was making his stomach rumble in hunger. “I haven’t, but I shall pay for myself,” he said, reaching for his wallet.  
  
Prompto laughed and grabbed his wrist, staying his hand. “No way. We’re making Noct pay for this. It’s the least he can do after embarrassing the crap out of me.” Prompto let go quickly, realizing what he’d done. “Sorry. Uhhhhhh, you got any food restrictions?”

Ignis gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile and shook his head. As Prompto turned to order for them, Ignis subconsciously touched the place on his wrist that Prompto had grabbed and fought a grin. He took a breath through his nose and let it out silently, willing his face to relax. _Gods, am I_ so _touch starved as all that?_

Prompto paid and they moved to a tall narrow table against the wall to wait for their order. They sat in somewhat awkward silence for a few moments while Prompto chewed at his lower lip. Ignis searched for something to say, trying to remember the thread of their conversation just before they entered the restaurant. But Prompto beat him to it when he finally spoke. “I mean. I do like girls. Women. But, also guys. And...really anyone? Well not _anyone_ anyone I mean…like it doesn’t matter if they’re male or female or not or whatever. I just, like who I like? Ugh this makes no sense, maybe I should just stop talking.” 

Ignis reached across and tapped his hands gently, just once. “It makes perfect sense. I understand what you meant.”

Prompto turned a lovely shade of bright pink and gave him a bright smile. _Oh dear. That smile will be my undoing, I’m sure of it._ “Good! I’m glad. You’d be surprised at the number of people who are really weirded out by it.”

“I am not.” Ignis said simply.

They chatted until their order was called, then grabbed the bags and walked back across the park to the shop, talking easily all the while.

When they arrived at the shop they found it nearly empty, so Prompto set up their food at one of the larger center tables, and they all took their dinners together. It was refreshing chatting with people his own age. He felt relaxed and more himself than he ever could with his peers at work. Sometimes the pitfalls of ambition weren’t immediately apparent, but Ignis could see now how starved he was for real friendship.

Noctis was kind enough to serve the few customers that trickled in - an experience that Prompto seemed shocked to have - and so they spent several hours eating and talking. Noct talked Ignis into downloading a mobile RPG and invited him to their party. He chose a mage class and found it intuitive, fun, and dangerously addictive.

All too soon the two baristas moved to close up shop, and Ignis left them to it, promising to log on to the game when he got home. He supposed just one day of missing the gym wouldn’t kill him, so he rode home with a smile on his face and feeling deeply content for the first time in a long while.


	7. Chapter 7

[Friday, November 17th, 6:04am]

 

> [Prompto]: Hey whatcha doin for Harvest Feast?
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: One of my coworkers is having a dinner. He doesn’t have any family in town and so a few of us have been invited. How about you?
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: Aww bummer. I’ve got a friendsfeast thing i do every year with Mo and some others. was gonna see if you wanted to come.
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: If only. It sounds infinitely more enjoyable than the stuffy jacket-required dinner I’m going to.
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: jacket?? wtf. Harvest is all about gorging yourself and wearing sweatpants and making leftovers into sandwiches and watching parades and playing games and drinking just a lil too much.
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: That sounds like a dream. Perhaps next year, if I haven’t bored you half to death by then.
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: no chance dude! see you in a bit!

 

[Sunday, November 19th, 2:38pm]

 

> [Prompto]: hows your fampcy dinner?
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: Horrid. Awkward. I am realizing how little I like these people.
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: D: aw man. duck outt and come here instead!
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: Tempting, but as I have to face these people on Tuesday morning, it would be ill advised.
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: we hav harvest spodie
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: ...Dare I ask?
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: well theres this big garbage bin and like everyone brings a bottle of booze and we fill itup but theres allso like fruit and shit in it.
> 
> [Prompto]: not like literal shit ahahahah
> 
> [Prompto]: hang on lemme tkka pic
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: How much of this have you had?
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: not as much as it seems bug this shits strng  hangoln
> 
> [Prompto]: [img00002492.jpg]
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: I have to say that looks much more appetizing than I originally pictured. Apples, pears, and cranberries, is it? And cinnamon sticks?
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: yup i think so! but i’m done cut off. im a lightwight. only had two cups n i nver drink.

 

[6:43pm]

 

> [Prompto]: you hangin in there dude?
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: Apologies. The wife of one of the directors had a bit too much wine and was...uncomfortably close.
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: oh hohoho! Ignis Scientia homewrecker!
> 
> [Prompto]: srsly though that is gross and uncool
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: Hardly a risk to wreck that home. She’s easily twice my age and not my type by any stretch. Are you feeling more yourself?
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: yeah I had lots of water and coffee and i’m good now. lil shaky but thats normal. also why i don’t really drink
> 
> [Prompto]: I really wish you were here. like i’m having fun but it woudl be so much more fun with you here. even noct is coming when he’s done with his dinner
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: I regret not taking your invitation. I’ve been sitting here among people I am surrounded by in my daily life, and yet have no real connection with and thinking...this is meant to be a holiday where we surround ourselves with those we’re closest to. And the one dear friend I have in this city is all the way across town.
> 
> [Ignis]: I’m having an existential harvest crisis.
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: am i yourone dear friend??
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: I did mean you, yes.
> 
> [Ignis]: Is that uncomfortable?
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: NO I AM SO HAPPY
> 
> [Prompto]: youre like already one of my best friends :D :D :D
> 
> [Prompto]: i’m jsut super glad you feel the same
> 
> [Prompto]: sorry i swear i’m not drunk anymore just excited
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: Ah, we’ll I’m glad I could bring a bit of brightness to your day. I must admit I was a bit worried about chasing you away.
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: no way dude not unless you got bitten in the zombie apocalypse and turned zombie and started chasing me. and even then i would stop and think about it first
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: I’m glad to know zombie me will have at least one easy meal.
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: ouch dude :(
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: I’m a zombie, I don’t know any different.
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: ok so i talked to everyone and we agreed we need you on our zombie evacuation team. since you know kung fu and shit
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: Of course you have a zombie evacuation plan. Of course.
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: well are you in or not
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: I’m in.  


	8. Chapter 8

It was always so much harder to come in for his baking shift when the previous day was a holiday. At least with Monday being an opening shift, it was like being eased back into working at ass o’clock, but three days to lounge around and eat and then having to get up at 4am was basically against all torture conventions. Or it should have been, in Prompto’s opinion. Today was even worse, because he had to trudge through two inches of fresh snow to get to the shop. _And_ he wasn’t able to run all weekend, thanks to said snow. His one consolation was that he could finally play holiday tunes without getting the side eye from his co-workers now that Harvest Feast was over. So on went the old holiday classics and he got to work baking.

Between singing along to the music and the groove of his baking routine, Prompto had completely zoned out, and was surprised when the alarm on his phone chimed the reminder to open the shop. Swiping the alarm off, he noticed a series of texts from Mo, starting last night. He’d been so deeply asleep last night and so rushed to get out the door this morning that he hadn’t noticed them before.

 

[Monday, November 20th, 11:12pm]

 

> [Mo]: you think we should close tmrw?
> 
> [Mo]: ...you didn’t check the weather before you went to bed did you
> 
> [Mo]: ofc you didn't

 

[Tuesday, November 21st, 5:34am]

 

> [Mo]: dude no way im making it in

 

[5:52am]

 

> [Mo]: did you bake and open?????
> 
> [Mo]: the whole city is shut down mah dude
> 
> [Mo]: rip prompto buried in snow and cinnamon rolls

 

Prompto was thoroughly confused. He shuffled to the door, unlocked it, and opened it.

There had to be at least a foot of snow on the ground.

“Hoooooly shit.”

He closed the door and quickly brought up his weather app. There, in bright red letters, was a blizzard warning. _Predicted heavy snow has been upgraded to blizzard warning. High winds and heavy snowfall increasing over the next twelve hours. Peak activity at 3pm and continuing overnight. Moderate snowfall continuing through Thursday, tapering off with clear skies and freezing temperatures over the weekend. Weather service advises people to remain indoors and at home if possible. Power outages probable._

“Holy shit. Whoops.” Well, he had already made the food and turned on the boiler so Prompto figured he’d stay open for the first few hours in case anyone came in. He only had to walk a few blocks to his apartment, which he was confident he could do in deep snow. He cranked the heat a bit more and got a fresh apron.

For the first fifteen minutes nobody came in, so he brought Mo and Molly up to speed, then sat at a table, browsing on his phone and drinking his third cup of the day. But then the door jingled and he looked up to find Ignis walking in. He shut the door and began stamping snow from his feet and unwinding his scarf.

“Whoa, good morning Mr. Dedication!” Prompto could see snow clinging to Ignis's glasses, which were also beginning to fog up with the heat of the shop. He looked at the clock on his phone 6:30. “Hey you’re eighteen minutes early!”

“Ah, yes,” Ignis said, taking off his glasses and cleaning them with a soft cloth he’d produced from his pocket, “I took one look out the window and was sure I would have to fight for a train, so I left early. As it turned out,” he said, replacing his glasses on his face and pushing them up his nose, “the train was nearly empty. Can’t imagine why,” he added with a slight smile.

Prompto grinned, his heart fluttering in his chest. “Well, since you’re here, I might as well make you a drink! On the house this time.”

“That would be most welcome,” Ignis said warmly. He sat down at his usual table and pulled out his laptop.

Prompto got to work making a Naga, topping it with a simple heart, and walked it over to Ignis's table. He found him frowning at his laptop. “I hadn’t realized the severity of the storm had been upgraded. It’s so early in the year for something like this.” He took the coffee from Prompto with a smile, and their fingers just brushed as it exchanged hands.

_Yikes._ “Yeah me neither,” Prompto said, noticing his voice was just a little more wobbly than usual. “Mo can’t make it in. I'll probably close around noon before the worst of it hits.”

Ignis nodded, eyes scanning his screen. “It seems my office is closed as well. I think I’ll work here for a bit and then head home. If you truly don’t mind?”

Prompto shook his head quickly. “Nope. I made all this food so hopefully I can sell it this morning. Otherwise it just goes to waste. Plus, and I mean I know you’re working, but the company is nice!”

Ignis gave him a half smile and a lingering look and nodded. “Thank you. But please do speak up if you’d like to close and go home.”

“On my honor,” Prompto intoned, before turning away and cringing. _So. Awkward. Prompto._  

-

By 7:30 Ignis had his emails sorted out and he looked for projects he could do remotely. Around that time Prompto switched the music from holiday tunes to pop music. He’d been humming along all morning as if he knew every single song in existence. If that were true, it would simply be another Prompto trivia tidbit to add to the already fascinating pile. The man may have seemed a bit airheaded on the surface, but he had a mind like a steel trap for certain things.

By 8:00, Ignis had stopped working altogether, instead poking around his social media and doing his best to pretend he wasn’t watching Prompto work. He’d gone from humming to outright singing along with the music now, and he was moving around behind the counter to the beat, dusting the shelves and polishing each ceramic cup.

Ignis gave up all pretense for a moment, cheeks heating up as he watched and listened to him sing along to the Weeknd’s remake of “Feel it Coming.”

 

> _“I can see it in your eyes_
> 
> _‘Cause they never tell me lies_
> 
> _I can feel that body shake_
> 
> _And the heat between your legs”_

 

Prompto’s singing voice was somewhat breathy and gravely at the same time, and impeccably on key when he was really trying. It _did things_ to Ignis. He thought perhaps it was time to admit that he was pretty far gone with this crush. He resolved to bring it up the next time they talked outside of Prompto’s workplace. If all went wrong, he’d simply have to find a new coffee shop - an unpleasant thought for certain - but he was fairly confident that things would at least remain civil enough if his feelings weren’t returned. The fear of rejection was a formidable foe, but he had braved worse.

It was just before 9 when the first few gusts of wind hit. Ignis was nursing his second cup of free coffee and Prompto had just been finishing up some project that had him on hands and knees reaching under the cabinets along the back wall. Not that Ignis had been looking. Much.

Some time before 10, the lights flickered and then went out.

“Well, I suppose that’s that.” Ignis unplugged his laptop and began to pack it up.

“Hah! Yeah, I guess so. I kinda ran out of things to do that I can do on my own anyway.” Prompto shut down the espresso machine and began counting the till. “You might wanna make sure the subway is running though. I don’t know how far this outage goes.”

“Good point,” Ignis agreed, and he pulled up the real time transit map. Sure enough, his stop was listed as temporarily out of service due to a power failure. He sighed.

“Out of service?” Prompto called out, in between stacks of bills.

“Unfortunately, yes. And the next available is two stops up the line. It’ll be hell getting a taxi in this weather.” He took his glasses off and pinched the bridge of his nose, cursing himself for indulging recklessly in the opportunity to simply sit in the same room as Prompto. Now he was trapped for who knew how long, and he either had to wait outside in a blizzard for a ride, or force Prompto to stick around until it showed up. He pushed his glasses back on, picked up his phone and opened the taxi app. He almost choked when he saw an estimated two hour wait time.

Across the room, Prompto closed his till and took off his apron. He walked over to Ignis, combat style boots thumping against the old hardwood floors. Ignis scrubbed a hand over his face and looked up just as Prompto pulled out the chair across from him, flipped it around, and sat straddling it with his arms resting on the back. “So what are you gonna do?”

“I’ve no choice but to wait for a taxi, I’m afraid.” He flipped his phone screen around to show him the wait time. Prompto whistled. “Please don’t worry though. I’m sure the main tower lobby, at least, is open. I can walk over there to wait.”

Prompto laughed and shook his head. “Hell no. I’m not letting you walk over there in this. I doubt it’s open anyway. We’re the only two fools out in this city today. I’ll wait right here with ya.”

Ignis shook his head firmly. “No. I won’t have you punished for my poor planning.” He detested this whole situation. _Planning is the one thing I always get right._

Prompto sighed and picked at one of his leather wristbands. He seemed to be considering something and in the cool light from the window, Ignis could see his face was dusted lightly pink. “Look. You still haven’t tried my bacon cinnamon rolls, and we have a whole carafe of hot drip coffee. I won’t be able to heat it up but…” He looked up and met Ignis's eyes, “you wanna maybe split one? I swear, they’re as good as they sound. If you like bacon that is.”

Ignis swallowed and found himself nodding numbly, not realizing what he had done until Prompto smiled brightly and said “Great!” nearly toppling the chair as he quickly got up to gather the coffee and a cinnamon roll.

He came back just a moment later and set down two steaming mugs of black coffee, a plate, two napkins, and two forks. He used a butter knife to carefully cut the roll in half, revealing the perfect layers of doughy pastry and cinnamon mixture. The top was glazed thickly and there were small chunks of bacon throughout. It did look awfully good.

Prompto picked up his fork. “You kinda can’t be delicate with it, unfortunately. Gotta just dive right in!” He pulled a piece off with his fork and held it down with his fingers to cut into a bite sized piece. Ignis smiled and took his advice, diving in.

It was absolutely _divine._

A low hum of pleasure escaped his throat as he chewed the first bite. He closed his eyes and let the flavors and textures dance across his tongue. _Sweet, salty, spice, crisp edges and a gooey center._ He swallowed and opened his eyes to reach for his cup, only to find Prompto watching him, lips slightly parted and with a decidedly flushed hue from his forehead to his neck. Ignis fought a smirk and brought his cup to his lips, taking a sip to clear his palate. He thought perhaps this day had more potential than it first seemed.

Prompto cleared his throat and went back to working at his half of the treat. “Not bad, right?” he said, laughing awkwardly. “I’m pretty proud of this recipe, not gonna lie.”

“It’s the best cinnamon roll I have ever tasted,” Ignis said earnestly, smiling.

That brought out all the beautiful freckles peppered across Prompto’s face. Ignis made a mental note to make him blush as much as possible. The effect was intoxicating. Prompto gained control of himself and laughed off Ignis's compliment. “I don’t know if I’d go _that_ far, but...thanks.” He smiled at him and they sort of stayed there for a long moment, just looking at each other. Ignis was just considering whether now was the right time to bring up the possibility of a date when Prompto coughed and looked away. “Sorry. I’m uh...kinda awkward. I mean. That’s probably pretty obvious by now but…” he made a vague gesture with his fork and then shrugged and laughed lightly, looking down and fidgeting in his seat.

Ignis put down his fork and used his napkin to quickly wipe his mouth and hands. He placed both hands on the table on either side of their shared plate. “Prompto,” he said, and his blue eyes snapped up to meet Ignis’s own, “For what it’s worth, I don’t find you at all awkward.”

“You...don’t?” He raised his eyebrows and looked carefully at Ignis's face.

Ignis shook his head. “No. In fact, I find you sunny, engaging, energetic, interesting, and kind-hearted. But not awkward.”

“You...what?” He blinked and his mouth worked for a moment or two. Ignis waited. “You, really think all of that, about...me?”

“Yes.” Ignis said firmly.

Prompto looked down at their plate, and then his eyes drifted to Ignis's hands. He twitched slightly and took half a breath in but then hesitated, holding it for a brief moment. Ignis took a chance and turned one hand over, palm up, and slid it just a little closer to Prompto, holding his own breath silently.

Prompto glanced up in surprise, but he must have seen something encouraging in Ignis's face because he - haltingly, hesitantly - brought his hand up and then rested it in Ignis's. Ignis hooked his fingers into Prompto’s and brushed his thumb across the top of his knuckles. They both exhaled simultaneously and smiled at each other, Prompto giggling just a little. Ignis felt strangely light and giddy, himself. Suddenly a two hour wait didn’t seem like such an inconvenience. 

-

“Okay so, favorite video game genre?” It was already noon and the wait time on Ignis's taxi kept creeping up and up. Not that Prompto was complaining. They had decided to pass the time eating sweets in the two cozy armchairs and asking get-to-know-you questions. Prompto was in with the important stuff first.

“Real time strategy,” Ignis replied. “Though it’s been an age since I’ve played a good one. You?”

“RPG for sure. I play a lot...probably too much, hah. Your turn!”

“Hmmmm, favorite type of food?”

“Spicy! Curries especially. You?”

“I have a bit of a secret, actually. I have a tremendous sweet tooth.”

“Hah! Well you can't keep that secret from your barista. Although you don’t seem to like things overly sweet.”

“No in fact I enjoy a good balance of flavors in all things I eat. Food is something I’m quite fond of.”

“Well then you either have iron willpower or you’re blessed with a crazy metabolism,” Prompto joked, though a pang of jealousy tugged at him. It was still such a struggle to maintain his own desired body shape.

“A combination of both of those things and a membership at a martial arts dojo. Though today it appears that I have none of the usual willpower,” he said, holding up his plateful of baked goods.

“Whoa your gym is a _dojo?_ So you do fighting and stuff? That’s badass!”

“In a sense. I spar and train but I don’t compete. It’s an interesting way to keep fit and flexible, while also providing an outlet for frustration. It helps me focus.”

“Okay,” Prompto said, “this is probably awkward and forward but, that’s insanely hot.”

Ignis didn’t seem to know what to say to that. He paused for a moment, eyes going wide and face dusting a light pink. Then he quickly cleared his throat and said that it wasn’t all that exciting. Or something like that. Prompto was too busy having a near-shutdown at having flustered him to really process what he had said.

Gods he was so beautiful.

Prompto really wanted to kiss him.

Truth be told, Prompto wanted a lot more, but he _loved_ kissing and that was what was on his mind. He realized he was staring when Ignis cleared his throat and took a drink from the cup of water he had on the table between them. He downed the last of his own and stood up, holding out his hand. “I can refill yours while I’m up.”

Ignis handed his cup over with a polite “Thank you,” then set his plate down and stood to stretch as Prompto walked away to refill both cups. He worked slowly, plotting a way to set the mood.

_Okay. Best bet is to make sure we’re close. Keep him talking. Body language. Be cool Prompto._

For an hour or so they talked. Prompto leaned in, touched Ignis lightly when he gestured, and just generally gave as many signals as he could.

Nothing.

Well, not _nothing_ nothing. Sometimes Ignis would lean in himself, and he never shied away from Prompto’s pretty outrageous flirting. He seemed genuinely interested and asked informed follow up questions. He was a good listener.

At a lull in the conversation Prompto leaned back and thought for a moment.

“How much time is left on the cab?” he asked.

Ignis glanced at his phone and winced. “It still says over two hours. I’m so sorry. The last thing I want to do is keep you here.”

“What? No! I’m having a great time man. Ten of ten, would get trapped in an elevator with you.”

“I certainly hope that isn’t sarcasm.” Ignis said wryly.

Prompto laughed, “No, I promise, it’s not. It’s getting a little darker though, lemme see if we have some candles left from our last event.”

He shuffled to the tiny storage closet, unlocked it, and found the candles in a labeled bin right away. _Bless Molly, always organized._ He grabbed five candles and the lighter, which was all he could carry, and set them up at tables around where he and Ignis had been sitting. Once lit, he was pleased at the ambiance they created. _Maybe this will help,_ he thought hopefully.

Ignis was frowning at his phone. “Hmmm, the storm is moving in in earnest now. I don’t have a lot of hope that the taxis will suddenly become more available.”

“Well, we’ve got all these board games.” Prompto said, gesturing to their ramshackle game shelf, “and some of them even have all of the pieces!”

Ignis nodded solemnly. Then he made a show of unbuttoning his shirtsleeves and rolling them up. “Very well. I hope you’re ready to go down in a blaze of shame.”

Prompto narrowed his eyes. “You talk a big game, but you don’t know my ruthless skill when it comes to ‘Sorry.’ I don’t know if you’ve heard of it.”

“Do you mean ‘Hashtag SorryNotSorry That You’ll End Up Crying?’ Yes I am familiar.” Ignis replied cooly.

Prompto flashed him a smile and strode to the shelf to grab a stack of classic games.

They made it through Sorry (which Prompto won), Payday (Ignis), and Chess (which Ignis won in only twelve moves) before taking a break. Ignis excused himself for the bathroom, taking one of the candles with him, and Prompto started cleaning up the game. He got all the pieces in their respective spots and put the battered cover back on, sliding it onto the crowded shelf.

It had been at least two hours now and he still hadn’t managed to set up a good smoochin’ mood. He started to think that maybe Ignis wasn’t ready, or that the day was too stressful and weird. There were a couple of times that Prompto had felt deftly deflected, but Ignis was definitely receptive to his little touches and had reciprocated some of his own. So maybe he was just imagining the deflection? _This would_ not _be the first time I convinced myself someone doesn’t want me._

Having anxiety sucked.

He sighed and picked up the cups to refill at the sink again, mind racing back and forth between whether to make a new plan or to back way off. He was so preoccupied that he didn’t realize Ignis was standing at the gap between the counter and the wall until he bumped right into him, sloshing water from the cups into the floor. “Oh shit! Sorry man!” he said, backing up a few steps. “Also you scared the crap out of me.” He laughed a little and looked up at him.

Ignis said nothing, but took a step toward him then took both mugs from Prompto’s hands and slowly, deliberately set them aside on the counter, maintaining eye contact all the while. Then he cupped Prompto’s face in his hands and brought his lips down to meet his own.

Prompto was so shocked that for a moment he didn’t react at all. After a few beats of Ignis holding steady and Prompto frantically working to reboot his brain, he felt Ignis's hands loosening on his face and his lips begin to pull away.

_Oh I don’t heckin think so._ Prompto surged forward before Ignis could break contact and threw his arms around his neck.

Ignis made a sound of surprise that was muffled against the firm pressure of Prompto’s lips, but melted into it quickly. Prompto wasted no time in deepening it, and Ignis followed suit, sliding his hands down to wind around Prompto’s waist and parting his lips in invitation. Prompto teased his tongue past Ignis's teeth and flicked the tip against the back side of them, causing Ignis's breath to catch. He pulled back, breaking the kiss, and Prompto’s eyes fluttered open so he could check in.

“You’ve no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that.” Ignis's voice was lower than usual, almost hoarse in quality. It was heaven.

“Bet it’s not as long as I’ve wanted to,” he countered, smiling.

“Try me.” Ignis replied, but his eyes were already roving back down to Prompto’s lips.

“I’d rather just make up for lost time,” Prompto said, and brought them together again. They shared their first, and second, and third kisses and countless others right there next to the counter. Prompto didn’t know how long it had gone on but he was getting pretty worked up and was seriously considering trying some steamier stuff when Ignis's phone chimed with a notification and they broke apart suddenly.

Ignis blinked, then they both laughed and he looked at his phone. He cursed under his breath.

“Everything ok?” Prompto asked.

Ignis simply handed him the phone.

“Due to severe inclement weather, all outstanding taxi orders have been cancelled. We’re sorry for any inconvenience this may cause you. Please enjoy your next ride on us,” he read aloud.

Prompto handed the phone back to him, then took out his own, bringing up his smart home app.

Ignis sighed. “I suppose I’ll have to look for a nearby hotel.”

“Ooooooor,” Prompto said, looking up, “you can stay at Chateau Argentum for free.”

Ignis hesitated. Prompto could see open want on his face for a split second before he masked it. “I don’t want to put you out,” he said slowly.

“But you waaaaaaant to, don’t you?” Prompto teased, smiling. “I even have power,” he said, showing Ignis the status report on his smart home app.

A smile tugged at the corners of Ignis's mouth. “I do enjoy electricity,” he said, closing the distance between them again and placing a slow warm kiss on the corner of Prompto’s mouth. “And good company,” he murmured, leaning in again. Prompto quickly took a step back and put a finger to Ignis's lips.

“Hold on,” he said, laughing, “if we get started again we might never make it. We better pack up quick here. It’s gonna be a miserable four block walk as it is. Snow’s only getting deeper.”

“Very well,” Ignis said, smiling. And then, “if you’re certain, of course.”

“Yup,” Prompto said simply. “Let's go.”

They were packed and out the door within minutes. Prompto struggled against the wind to get the door closed and locked, then they wrapped up as tightly as possible and stepped away to brave the weather.

The walk was borderline terrifying.

They could barely see. The wind blew the snow into their eyes, making visibility worse than it already was. Ignis had the foresight to grab hold of Prompto’s hand, and they struggled through almost two feet of snow together. It took nearly half an hour to walk the distance that Prompto regularly covered in less than ten.

Finally, they stumbled through the main door of his building, both panting, shivering, and soaked through to the knees. For a moment, they just stopped to catch their breath and laugh, leaning up against a wall for support. Then Prompto pushed himself upright and tried not to think about whether or not he’d made the bed or wiped the toothpaste off the sink. _Too late now. He’s already in the building._

“Alright,” he said with more confidence than he felt. “Your luxury suite awaits just down the hall.”

“Lead the way,” Ignis replied.

And so he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you haven't seen it, Robbie did sing _Feel It Coming_ [on a LAVA stream](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJNpoEbDE6I)!


	9. Chapter 9

Prompto opened the door to his apartment and flicked on the light, gesturing Ignis to step inside. Ignis obliged and looked around. The apartment was little more than an L shaped room. The entryway doubled as a tiny kitchen. A refrigerator, range and microwave, and a small countertop lined one side, and a coat rack and the door to the bathroom made up the other. There was a sizeable television just past the bathroom door that faced a large bed, which rested on shipping pallets and took up the entirety of the alcove. It was cramped but fairly tidy.

Ignis removed his shoes, placing them next to the small pile already under the coat rack, and stepped in farther to allow Prompto room to remove his coat and hat. Shrugging out of his own winter wear and finger combing his hair back into some semblance of order, he looked at the walls, which were completely covered in posters and glossy photographs. Some were official film or video game posters, some were what appeared to be fan-made art prints, but most were photographs of every subject one could think of. Landscapes, cityscapes, macro shots of insects on flower petals, or candids of people going about their business, positioned away from the camera so as not to show any faces.

Ignis marveled. “You know, I’ve only just realized that this is the first I’ve seen of your work. It’s very good, Prompto.” He turned in time to see Prompto flush a bright pink and stumble through a thanks.

“So, d’ya want the grand tour?” He asked, then rubbed the back of his neck. “Uhhhh, not that there’s much of it.”

“Please,” Ignis said.

“Allll right,” he said, taking Ignis's coat and scarf and hanging them up. “Well as you can see, this is my kitchen. There’s not a lot to it but it gets the job done.”

“Do you enjoy cooking?” Ignis asked.

“Not particularly. I can bake because I can follow instructions, but I leave the cooking to people who are much better at it than I am. Mostly I get takeout and make it last a whole day, or I’ll doctor up some cheap noodles.”

Ignis filed that away under _Things I Can Do for Him_ and nodded.

“Aaaaaand, the bathroom is through here. Hopefully it’s not too gross. Actually it’s gonna bug me if I don’t check so excuse me for a sec while I…” he trailed off and poked his head into the bathroom for a beat, then pulled back and shut the door, smiling. “Not bad! I just cleaned it a few days ago...thanks past me!” He pumped his fist and Ignis laughed. His own nerves were a bit on edge and he could tell Prompto was nervous as well.

“Okay, and here's the pièce de résistance!” He made a full body gesture to his television. “I got this beauty off of a swap site from some dude who was getting married. His fiance had a better TV, so I took their wedding photos in exchange for this one. I have every single gaming system ever made,” he continued, pointing to the collections of consoles, “and I wired them all up to these app-controlled switchboxes.”

“Impressive,” said Ignis. And it was. The television and consoles could easily have been a mess of cables, but there were almost none visible. Everything looked clean and organized, which Ignis found immensely pleasing. “Is it all controlled via your smartphone?”

“Yep! Anything electric is connected in some way to my app. I’m a little bit of a smarthome nerd,” he said sheepishly.

“I’m a bit envious, if I’m honest. I’d love for you to help me do the same for my apartment someday.”

“Definitely!” Prompto nodded enthusiastically, but then suddenly crossed his arms and shivered. “Brrrrr! Speaking of, we have oil radiators in this building, which I can’t smartify. It’s freezing in here. Let’s get some heat goin’.”

Ignis hadn’t said as much, but he was quite cold himself, his trousers still wet from their harrowing walk. Prompto bent down and twisted the dial on the radiator below the window, then stood back up and dusted off his hands. “How about some cocoa while we wait for the room to warm up?”

“Sounds lovely,” Ignis agreed.

While Prompto busied himself in his kitchen, opening and shutting cupboards without seeming to get anywhere, Ignis stood between the television and the bed, and studied the dark cozy alcove that served as Prompto’s bedroom. Prompto noticed him looking and got out his phone. “Hold on check this out!” he said. “Hey Moogle, open app smarthome, start skill ‘Moodlighting.’”

“Starting skill ‘Moodlighting’” the cool feminine voice replied.

The single overhead light in the kitchen dimmed and changed from a daylight cool, to a warm salmon color. In the alcove, a string of holiday style lights came on, along with a second string of lights that looked like little sunflowers. The two wall sconces on either side of the bed lit up dimly with the same salmon colored glow. Ignis could now see that Prompto’s bed was clean, made, and piled with blankets and pillows, along with an impressive collection of plush animals. Behind the bed was a set of recessed shelves that extended all the way to the ceiling. The first two levels had a few drinking glasses, coffee mugs, tissue boxes and the like on them. The rest were jampacked with books, video game cartridges, and soft sided CD binders.

“Magical,” Ignis said without irony. He wanted to dive into that bed and bury himself in heavy blankets and the scent of Prompto. As his eyes skimmed over the collections, something behind the decorative pillows and plushies at the head of the bed caught his eye and he smirked. “Do you have body pillows with scantily clad characters on them?”

Prompto set a mug down a little too hard and laughed awkwardly, “Uhhhhhhh. Yes? Haha. My husbando and waifu are both there. You can introduce yourself if you like.” He cringed a little bit and Ignis laughed. _He never fails to surprise me,_ he thought, and Ignis was so rarely surprised.

“Perhaps later.” He walked over to where Prompto was fidgeting in the kitchen, no closer to making cocoa than when he first set out to do so. Reaching out with one hand, Ignis took Prompto’s chin in his fingers and tipped his head up. “I don’t want to be rude to the other inhabitants, but the fact is I’m much more interested in you,” he said, and leaned down to kiss him full on the lips.

It was as if a dam broke. One moment they were standing quietly, sharing a chaste kiss, and the next, Prompto was pushing him against the refrigerator door and they were all hands and open mouths, grasping at each other’s clothes and tasting each other as if starved. Prompto pushed his hips into Ignis's and something inside him gave way. He reached around and grabbed two handfuls of Prompto’s rump, squeezing and massaging and pulling him in even tighter. He was rewarded with the most delicious moans and Prompto bucked up into him, causing Ignis to grunt. His trousers were already becoming painfully snug, and it must have been apparent because sweet, wonderful, kind Prompto slipped his hands between them and began undoing Ignis's belt.

A small voice in the back of his mind chirped out _“Propriety?”_ but it was quickly silenced by every other part of him saying _“Hush, who the hell cares,”_ as Prompto broke their kiss and slid down to his knees, taking his trousers and boxer briefs down just far enough to free his erection. Ignis let out a strangled sound as Prompto ran his nose up his length and took him in his mouth in one graceful movement.

Ignis was so shocked by how suddenly everything had changed, and so starved for this kind of attention, that it couldn’t have been more than a minute or two of Prompto working his mouth along his length and Ignis desperately clutching the sides of the refrigerator before he felt himself coiled tightly as a spring and he stuttered out, “Prompto! Please I’m...so close already, I’m sorry, I…”

Prompto just hummed in response and swallowed him down as far as he could go, and Ignis was gone. With a startled cry, he spilled himself down Prompto’s throat. Prompto worked him artfully all the way through his orgasm and then pulled back when the waves had subsided, redressing Ignis carefully. Ignis was barely standing but he soon came back to himself and opened his eyes to find Prompto now standing up, watching him with heavily lidded eyes. He surged forward to kiss him deeply and then pulled back and studied Prompto’s face while he caught his breath.

He was beautifully flushed and disheveled from both the snowy walk and their activities. He looked positively appetizing. “I do believe it’s your turn,” Ignis said, and he quickly undid Prompto’s studded belt buckle then led him to the end of his bed, tugging his jeans and boxers down to his knees before pushing him to sit down heavily.

Prompto was panting, and he licked his lips. “Okay but just so you know, you don’t…” he began, but Ignis silenced him by bending down for a kiss, which he then broke as he sunk to his knees.

“Oh but I want.” He said, and he ran his fingers lightly up Prompto’s calves, up his thighs, and then gently up the length of his cock, causing him to whimper and shiver.

“Okay no argument here,” he whispered, eyes clenched shut tightly, and Ignis chuckled. Then he tucked his arms over the top of Prompto’s thighs and licked a hot stripe up the underside of Prompto’s cock. Prompto groaned, loudly, and cursed. “I’m not gonna last either, oh gods.”

Ignis quickly decided that the romance and teasing could wait for another time and bent to take him fully into his mouth, hollowing out his cheeks and swirling his tongue every time he pulled back. True to his word, Prompto was babbling incomprehensibly in mere moments, and Ignis wickedly brushed his thumbs along Prompto’s balls and found the sensitive spot just behind them, pressing in slightly. “Ah, _fuck_ yes I’m…” was all he got out before Ignis felt him come undone, hot and salty on the back of his throat. He gagged once, which seemed to excite Prompto more and he wound his fingers into Ignis's hair, tugging and helping milk him through the convulsions, until finally his hands went slack and Ignis released him and looked up in time to watch Prompto flop back onto the bed, covering his face with his hands and giggling wildly.

“Ooooooh my gods dude that was fucking _amazing._ You’re even better at that than I imagined.”

Ignis sat back on his haunches and rested his forehead against Prompto’s knees. “Have you imagined it a lot?” he asked teasingly as he caught his breath.

“You have no idea man. A. Lot.”

Ignis laughed heartily and moved up to the bed, draping himself a bit awkwardly next to Prompto, who was still just half on the bed with his jeans around his knees. “Same here,” he admitted shamelessly.

Prompto smiled sleepily and turned his head toward Ignis, wiggling so he was pressed up against his side. Ignis rolled onto his side toward him and pressed a kiss to his temple. They stayed snuggled like that for several moments, until Ignis felt himself start to drift off.

 -

Prompto was swirling in a sea of afterglow. He had almost drifted off to sleep, and probably would have, if he hadn’t become increasingly aware of being uncomfortable. As he became more present, he realized he was basically naked from the waist down, half draped on the bed, and _cold._ He sat up stiffly, stretched, then carefully stood up and pulled his pants and underwear back up. Next to him, Ignis rolled onto his back and then sat up, pushing his hair back.

Now that his hormones had calmed down, the familiar tingle of panic started to inch its way up his spine. He looked at Ignis, who was watching him with a mild smile, and forced a smile of his own. “Whoops. I guess I got a little carried away there, huh? Sorry about that,” and he bit out a laugh.

Ignis's brows pinched momentarily before he relaxed and held out his hand. Prompto took it and helped him up. Ignis placed his hands lightly on Prompto’s waist, and he had to fight down the urge to back away. “I’d say perhaps we both did, but it was a long time coming, so to speak.”

Prompto groaned and then laughed, taking the opportunity to twist away and look for the cable remote. “Really man? Sex puns?”

From the corner of his eye Prompto saw Ignis shrug. “I am who I am.”

He couldn’t help but smile at that. The fear was tamped down a little but it was still there. Finally he found the remote and flipped the TV to a news channel.

“Are you alright?” Ignis asked. He was watching Prompto carefully.

“Yeah of course! Just cold and wet. Guess I should make that cocoa now, yeah?” and without waiting for a reply, Prompto busied himself in the kitchen. He tried to focus on the task at hand, but the intrusive thoughts broke through.

He concentrated on the high pitched noise of steaming milk, but still heard, _you just jumped right into bed again, didn’t you?_

When the milk was hot, he focused on stirring it carefully into the chocolate but heard _nobody is going to respect you if you keep on like this._

And finally, as he was adding in generous shots of peppermint Schnapps, _I gotta find a way out of this._

He was topping the cups with whipped cream and candy cane pieces when he finally tuned into the newscast that Ignis was watching with interest, and his heart sank.

They were reporting a citywide subway closure until further notice.

Prompto stood frozen, holding the two cups of cocoa, mouth slightly agape.

“Well,” Ignis began lightly, but stopped short when he saw Prompto.

Prompto quickly closed his mouth and smiled tightly, fighting the rising panic. He silently handed a mug to Ignis, who accepted it with his thanks and took a sip. “Mmmn,” he hummed, “Delicious, as always.”

“Thanks.” Prompto tried to sound lighthearted but he knew he was failing. He hid behind his cup for a few moments, thinking.

 _Okay dude. You’re gonna have to let yourself have some feelings. You’re gonna have to confront this._ He was braced for Ignis to lose interest rapidly after Prompto’s little display of absolutely no self-control. He _really_ liked Ignis, and was terrified that now he’d leave. So many people left the next day without so much as a backwards glance. He did _not_ want to go through that with Ignis. He decided to get it over with as soon as possible.

Prompto looked up to find Ignis watching him. He took a deep breath, cradling his cup in his hands. “So are we like, dating now?” he blurted.

“Would you liked to be?” Ignis asked him.

Prompto thought carefully about how to reply. In the end, he just winced and asked, “would you?”

Ignis stood up straighter. “I had hoped it would be obvious by now, but yes. I should like that very much.” He put his drink on the windowsill behind him and took a step toward Prompto.

Prompto’s heart was thudding rapidly out of some combination of joy and terror. _Is this actually happening? Holy shit._ Ignis must have seen something encouraging because he closed the distance and carefully leaned down to kiss him gently, then pulled back. “If that’s alright with you, that is.”

There was something in the way Ignis said it, and Prompto found himself believing those words. Suddenly the tension melted out of him and he genuinely smiled. “Yeah,” he said simply.

“Good,” said Ignis, and he took the cup from Prompto’s hands and placed it on the countertop. “Well then, since it’s all official,” he said and bent to kiss him again, with distinctly more heat this time.

They’d only just had their first kiss a couple hours ago, if that, but already this was different. There was passion but without the desperation from before. Ignis worked his mouth against Prompto’s so gently, hands cupping his face, alternating between dry sweet kisses and deeper, more probing kisses. He tasted of peppermint and chocolate and something that could only be his own particular taste. Prompto was practically dizzy with all the sensation, and when Ignis broke from his lips to press slow kisses all along his jaw and down his neck he just about lost his balance.

Thankfully Ignis slid his arms down to wrap around his waist, and Prompto slid his up to hold Ignis's arms. He tipped his head to allow Ignis more access, and was rewarded with hot open-mouthed kisses up and back down to the junction between his neck and shoulder. Ignis bit lightly there and Prompto shivered.

He pulled back, glasses steamed up a bit. “Cold?” he asked.

Prompto shook his head, still in a daze. “No just...so good.” He smiled lazily. “You wanna take those off?” he asked, gesturing at his glasses with his chin.

Ignis smiled softly. “In a moment. Actually, hold there just one tick, if you don’t mind.”

“Sure thing,” Prompto said.

Ignis placed a quick kiss on his forehead and turned to switch off the TV. Then he walked past Prompto and flipped the overhead light switch. “Do you mind turning off the sconces?” He asked.

“Uh, sure.” Prompto grabbed his phone and tapped the power switch for the sconces. They were left with just the two string lights casting a soft glow over the apartment. It was finally starting to warm up, and the effect was intimate and cozy.

While Prompto was fixing the lights, Ignis had pulled out his own phone and started up some music. The sound was soft, flowing, and romantic. Prompto put his phone on the charger in the kitchen and Ignis put his on the windowsill, then removed his glasses and folded them carefully, placing them on top of his phone.

“Better,” he said, and walked back over to Prompto and grabbed his hand. “Do you mind if we sit?” he asked, gesturing to the bed.

“No,” Prompto said, still a little stunned. Ignis tugged his hand gently and walked backwards, keeping his eyes on Prompto’s. He followed and they sat down side by side on the end of the bed.

“Better still,” Ignis said, and he leaned back in, still holding Prompto’s hand as he laid a series of light kisses across his cheeks and nose. He kissed him once on the lips, then pulled back and turned, giving a gentle tug to Prompto’s hand and letting it go as he scooted up the bed. “Let’s get a bit more comfortable, shall we?” He swept the plush animals to either side and Prompto turned to crawl up toward the pillows.

He stopped, kneeling in front of Ignis. He briefly thought that he should be trying to actively participate in whatever this was, but his head was spinning with emotions and for the time, he was happy to follow Ignis's lead.

For a long moment, they knelt, just looking at each other. A smile played on Ignis's lips and he exhaled lightly. “You are so beautiful, do you realize?”

Prompto did not. He was at a loss. He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out, so he shut it again and closed his eyes, shaking his head.

Then Ignis's hand was on his cheek and he opened his eyes. “You are,” he said sincerely. “I could get lost in your eyes and never want for anything. I could spend an age counting every freckle and never hunger.”

 _Holy shit._ “Holy shit.” He whispered.

Even in the low light, Prompto could see a blush form across the bridge of Ignis's nose. “Too much?” he asked, smiling a bit sheepishly, though he kept his hand on Prompto’s cheek.

Prompto reached up and placed his hand over Ignis's and leaned his head into the touch. He shook his head. “No. Not at all. That’s…” his chest tightened in the best way. “That’s the sweetest, most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me...or to anyone, ever.” He slid his hand up Ignis's arm a bit and pulled lightly.

Ignis shuffled forward so that their knees touched. He leaned up and slid his fingers behind Prompto’s head, and brought his other hand to his waist. He twisted and Prompto let Ignis guide him to lie back against the pillows. They straightened out their legs and Ignis adjusted himself so that his head was propped on one elbow, his body pressed against Prompto’s side. Ignis took his free hand and traced an outline of one side of Prompto’s face, then brushed his thumb across his lips. “You have the most beautiful lips,” he murmured.

“No way, that title definitely goes to you,” Prompto countered.

“We’ll call it a draw,” Ignis said with a smile, and he leaned in to kiss him slowly. Prompto brought a hand to tangle in his hair. It was so soft and silky; he could have spent hours just running his fingers through it.

Ignis kissed him silly as he explored the planes of Prompto’s torso with his fingertips. When he got to the hem of his shirt, he hooked his fingers on it and drug it upwards, pulling away only long enough to work the shirt up and over his head. Then he dove back in and continued his slow exploration, alternating between light brushes with the tips of his fingers and firm squeezes with his whole hand.

Eventually Prompto found the presence of mind to tug at the buttons of Ignis's shirt in a silent plea for him to remove it, and he obliged, stripping out of it along with his undershirt.

 _Oh my gods he’s like a statue._ He only had a brief moment to admire him before Ignis's hands were back on him. He wasn’t sure how long it went on, but it felt like time stopped as Ignis mapped every inch of him with his hands and mouth. Finally, he kissed a hot line along the middle of his torso and came back up, rolling on top of him to settle his weight between Prompto’s legs. He wound their fingers together and ground into him slowly, hot breath skirting across Prompto’s cheek.

It was utterly overwhelming. Prompto had never experienced anything so intimate as the attention Ignis was giving him. He wanted more but didn’t trust himself to speak. So he mouthed Ignis's shoulder and squeezed his hands, bucking his hips up to meet Ignis's thrusts and whining lightly.

Ignis must have got the hint because he released his hands and slid down to quickly divest Prompto of the rest of his clothes. Then he knelt beside Prompto’s hips and raked his eyes over him, lightly running his fingers over his thighs. Prompto heard him take a shaky breath. “You are astounding, Prompto.” He ran fingertips along the lines of his hipbones, and down his legs to his knees, then back up.

All the intense attention was almost too much, and he longed to feel Ignis's skin against his. He grabbed his hand and pulled lightly. “Come back, please,” Prompto whispered, “I...miss you.”

Ignis's breath caught and something unreadable crossed his face, but then he quickly removed the rest of his own clothes and positioned himself above Prompto again, kissing him deeply and twining their fingers together again. He rocked into Prompto slowly for several long minutes, rutting them together with just his hips and torso. It was so sweet and so emotional but now Prompto was so utterly turned on in every sense that he felt like he was going to explode. He decided to take matters into his own hands, so he shook a hand free and reached up behind him, producing a bottle of lube from a little decorative box on the shelf.

He flipped the bottle open but Ignis stopped him. “Please,” he said, his voice low and rough, “allow me.”

Prompto shuddered and relinquished the bottle. Ignis shifted his weight to one elbow and quickly coated his hand with the slick substance, then he wrapped his long fingers around them both and began stroking.

Prompto was _gone._ Nothing had ever felt this good. Nothing. His mind and body gave into every sensation. The sounds, smells, and feelings of Ignis working them both to the edge, whispering quiet encouragements and compliments in Promptos ear, entirely took him over. For the first time in his life, he’d completely forgotten the chase for release. He had no idea how close to the edge he was until Ignis voice began to falter, transitioning from near poetry to simply repeating, _“Beautiful, beautiful, so beautiful,”_ until he heard a low grunt and felt Ignis's seed painting his abdomen. Prompto immediately followed, his orgasm surprising him as it went on and on, Ignis working them both expertly through the aftershocks.

He had no clear memory of the moments following, only a vague recollection of being cleaned up and tucked under the covers of his own bed. Ignis was already beside him, gathering Prompto into his arms and placing tender kisses on his bare shoulders when Prompto became aware of his surroundings again. They fell asleep before the rest of the city was even eating dinner, and slept until deep into the next morning.

For the next two days, Ignis stayed at Prompto’s tiny apartment. He sometimes wore a set of Prompto’s spare pajamas, or often nothing at all, and they spent the time getting to know each other in every sense.

Ignis made clever concoctions out of the ingredients in the pantry and refrigerator. When he discovered his ukulele, he pestered Prompto to play for him, and they sang together to pass the time. They played old video games from their childhoods, read aloud from books or online articles, or simply sat and held each other while they talked of everything and nothing.

On Friday morning, the subway system reopened, and Ignis reluctantly admitted it was time he go home and wash his clothes. They made it all of six hours before Ignis called and invited him to come stay the weekend, and Prompto was knocking on his door within the hour, in awe of his swanky spacious apartment.


	10. Chapter 10

 

[Monday, November 27th, 10:59am]

 

> [Prompto]: youll be happy to know it finally happened
> 
>  
> 
> [Noctis]: it. is. too. early.
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: dude its 11. you come in in like an hour
> 
>  
> 
> [Noctis]: too. early.
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: worst friend ever
> 
>  
> 
> [Noctis]: wait, what finally happened? are you finally going on a date with Fancy McMemefactory?
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: uhhhhhhh. yes? like, going forward yes we will go on dates
> 
>  
> 
> [Noctis]: omfg did you bone?
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: …………..no
> 
> [Prompto]: maybe
> 
> [Prompto]: ok yes
> 
> [Prompto]: :D
> 
>  
> 
> [Noctis]: did he make you sign a contract first?
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: D: don’t be a dick
> 
> [Prompto]: although actually, check this out
> 
> [Prompto]: he keeps *folded* matching clean up rags in his nightstand
> 
>  
> 
> [Noctis]: ...wow
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: and his apartment is like out of a design magazine. its like way up high and theres a doorman and one whole wall of the living room is a window
> 
>  
> 
> [Noctis]: folded. jizz. rags.
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: theyre actually kinda like, neatly rolled up. and he has two different kinds of lube. tbh the rags are really fukn convenient and i might start doing it
> 
>  
> 
> [Noctis]: folded…
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: thanks for the well wishes youre the best friend ever

 

-

 

[Wednesday, November 29th, 3:08pm]

 

> [Prompto]: is it friday yetttttt
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: I know the feeling. I can’t wait to spend the weekend with you in my arms.
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: i knoooooooow. i just wanna like crawl inside you and stay there forever
> 
> [Prompto]: wait is that creepy
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: No, I believe that’s called sex, dear.
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: wait...isnt sex what weve already been doing? :o
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: Well yes, but I meant...more specific to what you mentioned.
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: ooooooh you want me to crawl inside you like that eh? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: In short, very much so. Is that alright with you?
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: uuuuhhhhhh yes...someday? not...yet. is that okay?
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: Of course.
> 
> [Ignis]: Is this new to you?
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: only like, with someone with your anatomy, if that makes sense
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: It does. Take all the time you need.
> 
> [Ignis]: Well. I have to say that having a glass walled office is highly inconvenient at the moment.
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
> 
> [Prompto]: my office is my bed. Muahahahaha
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: Unfair.


	11. Chapter 11

Dating Ignis was _awesome._ Not only did he get to see him every single morning, but Ignis used almost every lunch break to stop by the shop or Prompto’s apartment during his office hours, just to give him a kiss and say hello. Sometimes he even brought little gifts. Ignis listened to the little things Prompto talked about, and remembered them. For the first time in his life, he felt important to someone. They spent every weekend at one apartment or the other, usually Ignis's. It was just about perfect.

So naturally, Prompto started freaking out.

 _Not just out of nowhere, though_ , he told himself. He’d started to see some stuff that niggled at him. Like, a few times, Prompto had mentioned wanting to come up and surprise Ignis at his office someday, but Ignis had always deflected, saying he’d much rather get out and walk somewhere. Prompto had no idea what floor he even worked on. It caused him to start to get anxious that Ignis was ashamed of him. Whether it was because he was a man or because he was just a lowly barista, he didn’t know. But it felt distinctly like he was being kept away from Ignis's workplace.

And sometimes they’d be out and about, and Ignis would make some cutting comment about other people’s apparent intelligence or appearance. At first, Prompto laughed it off, but it started to make him uncomfortable.

He brought the examples to Mo one morning, and they agreed that it was shitty behavior. “But,” they added, “and not that this excuses it by _any_ means, but think of the world he grew up in. He probably doesn't mean to be rude. And he probably sees you as on his level, otherwise he’d watch his mouth more. You should totally call his ass out about it.”

Prompto thought on it quite a lot. He wished he felt confident enough to bring it up, but Prompto definitely did _not_ consider himself on Ignis's level. He was poor, uneducated and probably uncouth in the eyes of Ignis's social peers.

So he did the only thing he knew how to do - he pretended everything was fine.

It all came to a head in early December when Prompto got the flu and had to be out of work for almost two weeks. Ignis called and texted and begged to come take care of him, but Prompto refused, saying he didn’t want to get him sick. After the first week, Ignis pushed back on that, saying he’d been researching and he was likely past the contagious point. Prompto said he still didn’t want to risk it, that he was gross, that his place was gross. Ignis countered every argument so soundly that Prompto panicked and resorted to taking hours to reply, or failing to reply at all and claiming he’d fallen asleep.

It worked, until it didn’t.

It was not quite 1 o’clock on the second Friday of his flu. Prompto was showered and finally had enough energy to clean up all the bags of tissues and disinfect the surfaces, only having to rest a few times when he’d get caught by a coughing fit. He was just sitting down with a bowl of microwaved soup when there was a knock on the door. He put the soup down and walked over to look through the peephole, and his stomach lurched. It was Ignis.

For about half a second he considered pretending he wasn’t home, but reason prevailed and he opened the door, painting a weak smile on his face. “Hey man, aren’t you supposed to be at work?”

“I’m on my lunch break,” Ignis replied shortly. “May I come in?”

Prompto hesitated, then sighed and nodded, stepping out the way to let Ignis in. Ignis stepped through, pausing to press a kiss to Prompto’s head, and Prompto shut the door behind him.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Better. Just tired and coughing still. But a lot better. I think I’ll be back on Monday.”

Ignis nodded. “Good,” he said. He slipped out of his shoes, but kept his coat on, and went to sit down on the end of Prompto’s bed. “Then you must be well enough to tell me what’s going on.”

“What do you mean?” Prompto tried, but Ignis held his hand up.

“Don’t.” He looked up and Prompto could see pain etched on his features.

Suddenly he felt terrible. His chest constricted and he looked away as the familiar sting of tears began.

“I know you’ve been ill, but still, I...are you unhappy with our relationship, Prompto? I’ve been on edge for a week. I need to know. If you’re done, it’s fine, but please, _tell_ me. Do me that courtesy. Save me from this agony. I beg you.” Ignis's voice was thick with unshed tears, and that pushed Prompto over the edge.

“No,” he shook his head and looked down, face crumpling, “I don’t want to break up. I’m not unhappy with us. Well, not exactly.”

“Then what?” Ignis pleaded.

Prompto walked over to him and sat close, collapsing against his shoulder as the tears began to flow. Ignis wrapped an arm around him and held him close, letting him cry until the tears slowed. As Prompto sniffled and took deep shuddering breaths, Ignis disentangled himself to grab a tissue box from the alcove, and brought it back to offer to him. When Prompto finally looked up, he saw that Ignis had been crying as well.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, “I’m so sorry. I don’t know how to do this. I get so scared.”

“It’s all right, darling,” Ignis said softly, “please just talk to me.”

So Prompto told him everything. He was halting at first, but he soon gained momentum and was able to give examples. Ignis listened quietly through the whole thing, not once interrupting him. When Prompto was done, he ended with “I’m sorry I didn’t say something sooner.” Then he braced himself for the inevitable backlash. The anger. The blame game. 

Ignis took a long, deep breath and let it out slowly. Then he shook his head. “I can see why you didn’t.”

Prompto blinked. “You can?”

Ignis nodded. “Of course. I come from a wealthy family. I work for an elite investment company, and I’ve kept you at a distance from my work life.” Ignis sighed and shook his head. “I’ve been an unimaginable ass.”

Prompto was so surprised by his reaction that he laughed suddenly.

Ignis raised an eyebrow.

“I just...I really thought you’d be pissed.” Prompto said.

Ignis shook his head again. “Only at myself. I can’t believe how blind I’ve been to my own careless behavior. And to think you were too fearful of coming to me. It’s…” he trailed off and scrubbed a hand over his face. “It’s inexcusable, that’s what.” He squared his shoulders and met Prompto’s eyes. “Prompto. I am deeply, sincerely sorry. And I thank you for pointing this out to me. I can only hope that you won’t need to be the one to recognize it in the future.” He paused for a moment. “If...if there is a future.”

Prompto was stunned. Ignis wasn’t mad. Ignis was...he was _sorry._ Genuinely sorry. And not just because of the rift it had caused. He was sorry because he recognized the flaws in his behavior, and wanted to change them going forward. This was...very new to Prompto. He sat, holding a soiled tissue, eyes wide and roving while he processed what was happening. When he finally looked back up at Ignis, he was met with a desperate searching look.

“I’m…” Prompto had no idea what to say. “I mean. Yeah?”

Ignis's brow furrowed, so Prompto went on. “Sorry, I’m just...shook. I’m not...I mean. This is like, healthy communication between two people. It’s something I’ve heard lots about in therapy but I’ve never had it in a relationship. Unless you count Noct, I guess.”

Something seemed to relax in Ignis. He held his arms out. “May I?” he asked.

In answer, Prompto dove into his arms and nestled his face against his chest. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered again into Ignis's wool coat.

Ignis inhaled deeply and spoke into Prompto’s hair. “I forgive you, though I hardly think you’ve anything to apologize for.”

 _Oh shit. I think I’m legit in love,_ Prompto thought, as Ignis stroked his hair and held him close, rocking gently.

After what seemed like five minutes or forever, Ignis pulled back. “I would love it if you’d come spend the weekend with me. Or I can stay here if you prefer.”

“Oh gods yes please. I have _got_ to get out of here. I’ll be over when you’re done at work?”

Ignis shook his head and pulled his phone from his pocket. “No more work today. Family emergency.” He typed a quick email and sent it off. “Now, let’s get you packed up, shall we? I’ll ride with you and we can get some of that spicy soup you like from the shop by my apartment.”

Prompto smiled his first real smile in two weeks and scrambled to get his bag together.

“There’s, just one more thing,” Ignis said. Prompto looked up from stuffing clothes into his bag and waited. “Every year, the company has a formal party for New Year’s Eve. Would you accompany me, as my date?”

Prompto blinked a couple of times. “What kind of a formal party?”

“Black tie,” Ignis replied, “Dinner, dancing, open bar. Standard fare.”

Prompto’s face split into a wide grin. “Are you asking me to prom, Iggy?”

Ignis gave a startled laugh. “In essence, yes, I suppose I am. Prom with legal alcohol.”

He zipped up his bag and stood, facing Ignis, who was still seated on the bed. “Then yes, I’ll go to prom with you,” he said solemnly, and pulled him to his feet so he could kiss him.

They stood, sharing warm, not-totally-chaste kisses for several long moments. Then Prompto realized something and pulled back suddenly. “Wait. I don’t know how to dance.” 

Ignis hummed and pulled him closer. “If you don’t mind my leading, I can teach you easily enough.” He placed warm kisses along his jaw, and lingered at the spot just below his ear. “To be honest, I’m dying to show you off. I bet you look positively ravishing in a tuxedo.”

Prompto shivered at the low rumble of Ignis's voice. “Hey,” he protested weakly, “I’m not just some arm candy, y’know.”

Ignis pulled back, aghast. “You mean there’s more than just this?” he said, gesturing to Prompto’s face.

“Dick!” Prompto laughed and shoved him backwards so that he fell onto the bed, then he picked up his overnight bag and walked out of his apartment, leaving Ignis to scramble after him, laughing all the while.


	12. Chapter 12

“Good. Foxtrot is probably the trickiest of the three dances we’ll be learning.” Ignis considered a moment, then changed the music. “Let’s work on the Rhumba now. It’s a four count box step. The basic steps are on one, three, and four.”

Prompto nodded, watching him as he demonstrated the pattern.

“The frame is a bit different, much closer.” He positioned Prompto’s hands appropriately and pulled him in. “Just remember to keep your frame and follow my hips. I’ll start at the chorus. Ready?”

Prompto nodded again and Ignis squeezed his hand lightly to signal he was starting, then led Prompto in a few basic boxes before adding a couple of simple turns. Ignis was pleased. Prompto was either a natural or a very quick study. He was sure that by the time they hit the dance floor, nobody would be able to guess Prompto hadn’t known the steps only two weeks prior.

They worked the Rhumba for another ten minutes or so, then Ignis decided to try their luck with a Cha Cha. He queued up some Lady GaGa and explained the steps.

“The first lead in is tricky but you can skip it by starting on the two, like so.” He did a few repetitions of the basic steps on his own, then brought Prompto in. “Same frame as the Rhumba. Ready?”

Prompto was smiling widely and nodded. “I can already tell this is going to be my favorite.”

“Just wait until we get to the inside-outside turn. There are arm movements. On two, and…”

They worked through the three dances for an hour or so and then took a break for lunch. The weather was clear and sunny, so they headed out to walk the riverfront and eat street food. As they walked hand in hand, Ignis searched for the perfect time to tell Prompto of his feelings. From that first weekend after the blizzard, Ignis had known he was hopelessly in love, but he’d had no idea how or when to bring it up.

When Prompto had become ill and had started ghosting him, he was beside himself with anxiety. He thought it was his fault for not being forthcoming, and that he’d spoiled his chances with the first person he’d ever truly loved. If only he’d known earlier that the truth was even worse.

After their talk, Ignis vowed to tell Prompto as soon as possible, but try as he might, he couldn’t pull the trigger. Sometimes the moment seemed too contrived, sometimes too basic. He knew himself well enough to admit he had a flair for the dramatic, and he’d dreamed up every imaginable grand gesture. But if he waited until he planned out the perfect moment, he knew it might never come.

Or so he told himself as they stood and watched the tugboats, leaning on the railing along the boardwalk. And yet, the words stuck to the roof of his mouth, unable to tumble out. Instead he moved behind his lover, wrapping his arms around and resting his head on Prompto’s. Prompto sighed happily and snuggled back against his chest.

The days leading up to the party came and went in a haze of planning and practicing their dances, so that Ignis still hadn’t confessed as they dressed in their formal wear in his apartment, ready to head out together in a rented town car.

Prompto gave a final tug on his vest and smiled at Ignis nervously in the mirror. “Well? How do I look? I clean up okay I guess, yeah?”

Ignis turned to survey him head to toe. He was wearing a black vested tuxedo with a broad striped black and purple tie that complimented Ignis's own shiny deep purple tux. He looked positively edible. “You look amazing, darling. I’ll be the envy of all with you on my arm.”

“Staaaaaaahp,” Prompto giggled. “But don’t stop,” he added, stretching up to kiss him.

“Shall we?” Ignis asked, offering his elbow as they left the bathroom and headed for the door.

Prompto fidgeted through the whole ride to the tower, so Ignis kept a reassuring hand on his thigh and pointed out various places they could visit together someday in an attempt to keep him distracted. When they arrived, Prompto slid out of the town car behind Ignis and spent a long time adjusting his jacket before finally taking Ignis's arm and letting him lead him up the stairs to the main lobby. The lift ride was crowded but quick, since everyone on board was headed to the ballroom at the very top of the tower.

Prompto gasped when the lift doors opened to the lavishly decorated ballroom. The reception room was already crowded with groups of people dressed in their finest, holding champagne flutes and hors d'oeuvres that were being passed around on silver trays by smartly dressed waitstaff. Ignis led them farther in, pausing to get them both glasses of champagne, until he found an empty standing table.

Prompto looked around, speechless for several moments. Finally he said, “I had no idea people _actually_ had parties like this.”

Ignis laughed lightly and took a sip. “I assure you, they all start to look the same after a while.”

Prompto gave him a dubious look, but then his attention shifted to a server who stopped by to offer them some sort of pâté on crackers. He looked to Ignis as if asking permission to accept, so Ignis grabbed one for himself and Prompto followed suit, grinning happily and thanking the server heartily.

They chatted amicably for a few moments, before Ignis spied one of his team members headed their way. “Introduction time,” Ignis said in a low voice. Prompto went a bit pale so Ignis gave him a reassuring smile.

For the first few rounds, in which Ignis unfailingly introduced him as “my partner, Prompto Argentum,” Prompto was mostly quiet, shaking hands softly and nodding with a “Nice to meet you.” By the time dinner rolled around, Prompto was two glasses of champagne in and had loosened up considerably. He chatted happily through all five courses, thoroughly charming everyone within earshot.

When the meal was over and they began mingling in the crowd again, there were even more introductions. By now, Ignis had stopped fearing adverse reactions to his bringing a same-sex partner. Nobody seemed surprised, though several people made it awkwardly clear that they were _so supportive_ of their relationship, or even tried to become closer friends than they’d ever cared to in the eight years that Ignis had been working there. After a while, it seemed that Prompto took it upon himself to make a game of these encounters, asking innocent but pointed questions that made people back off of their benevolent discrimination. Ignis was so amused and impressed by it that he couldn’t even be embarrassed. Though, perhaps the Chianti had a hand in his feelings.

At a lull in their socializing, Ignis pulled him close and kissed his cheek quickly, trying to convey so much in such a small gesture. He decided that it had to be tonight. Prompto deserved to know how he felt.

Finally the dance floor was cleared and the music began. At the first foxtrot friendly beat, he asked Prompto for a dance.

Prompto immediately agreed, and almost as quickly seemed to regret it. Much as he had been chattering excitedly about this part of the evening, as soon as they stepped out on the floor he said he was _sure_ he was going to trip and bring them both down in a horrendously embarrassing spectacle. But when Ignis pulled him into frame, the familiarity of it carried him, and they were gliding across the floor like they’d done this together for years.

There was something truly magical about gliding in a big circle with a dozen other couples surrounding them. Ignis tried hard to be a good lead. He signaled Prompto with little nudges, nods, or presses of his hand before leading them in a turn or a holding step. They were flying so smoothly and gracefully together, that Prompto even remembered not to look at his feet halfway through the dance.

When the song was over, they took a break along one of the walls and Ignis praised him heavily. He looked so genuinely happy that it made Ignis's heart ache. “Just think,” Prompto teased, “we’re all set up to be rich old men on cruise ships.”

Ignis hummed and smiled. “How are your shuffleboard skills, darling?”

“Rusty,” Prompto admitted. “But I’m bangin’ at bingo!”

The night wore on and they danced all three of the dances he’d taught Prompto several times. When the DJ put on a pop song that had a line dance Ignis didn’t know, he excused himself to the restroom. When he came back out, it took him a moment to find his partner. Finally he saw that Prompto was out on the floor with a large group of people, dancing along to the song’s movements. His heart felt so full watching Prompto enjoy himself, dressed to the nines, totally in his element within Ignis's world.

The song ended and the next song was a slow rhumba beat. He caught Prompto’s eye and smiled, walking toward him across the floor.

“May I have this dance?” he asked in a low voice.

“Always,” Prompto replied, smiling.

He pulled him closer than usual and led them in small slow steps, pressing their cheeks together lightly. After a few moments, Prompto huffed a small laugh. “This is ridiculously magical. I feel like I’m in a fairytale,” he said softly.

“I quite agree” Ignis murmured, somehow pulling him even closer. They were pressed together hips to chests, legs brushing as they moved in time to the swaying beat. _Now, it has to be now._ “Thank you for coming tonight,” he said quietly, and pressed a kiss just in front of his ear. “My love.”

From the way Prompto’s breath caught, he gathered his message had been received as intended, and he pulled back to look at his face, their steps faltering. Prompto’s eyes were wide and shining with unshed tears as he searched Ignis's eyes. Ignis smiled and leaned down to press a kiss to his lips, surprised when Prompto released their frame to wind his arms around Ignis's neck, kissing him back briefly but fiercely in the middle of the dance floor. He pulled back and gave Ignis a lopsided grin. “Love you too, my Prince Charming.”

Ignis felt a beautiful tightness in his chest, but quickly remembered where they were. “I am exceedingly glad to hear it. But I believe we’re causing a bit of a scene,” he said. Prompto glanced around guiltily. In truth, Ignis saw a few sweet or knowing smiles but for the most part the floor was dark and crowded enough that no real harm was done. “Shall we continue, love?” He asked, folding Prompto’s hand back into his own and pulling him close to finish out the dance.

They were cheek to cheek again. Prompto cleared his throat lightly. “So...how long does this thing go again?”

Ignis chuckled. “Until I can’t stand the wait of taking you home to my bed any longer.”

Prompto let out a breath that skirted across Ignis's ear, causing him to shiver in spite of himself. “And...how long will that be, do you think?”

“Moments, if that,” Ignis replied. He could hear the husky quality of his own voice. He was already plotting their quick escape. 

-

As it turned out, they didn’t make it to the bed. They barely made it in the door and Prompto was desperately pushing Ignis against it, grinding their hips together and feverishly kissing every exposed part of Ignis's face and neck. The whole evening had been a big buildup in his eyes, and Prompto couldn’t wait for release any longer. He grazed his fingernails down the length of Ignis's torso and quickly worked the buckle and button of his pants open. He nudged Ignis's legs apart with his knee, pressing himself up against him and bucking his hips up. Ignis moaned beautifully and Prompto worked his own pants open while biting down softly on Ignis's lower lip. He let it go with a light suck and a pop, pulling back to look at him while he ground their hips together again. “Gods I could cum just like this,” he said hoarsely. Ignis was panting, his pupils blown wide, and Prompto freed both of their aching cocks from their pants, rocking his hips up as he stroked them both roughly. It didn’t take long. Prompto tumbled over the edge first, followed quickly by Ignis, both of them making what would probably be regrettable messes of their suit jackets...if Prompto had been capable of regret at that moment.

They both sunk down to the floor in a tangle of limbs and expensive material, catching their breath. Prompto giggled. “Whoops. You can send me the cleaning bill.”

Ignis's head had lolled back against the door, glasses perched down on the end of his nose. He huffed out a laugh. “No need. I couldn’t care less at the moment. Though I must admit,” he said, pushing up his glasses and straightening up a bit, “This isn’t exactly how I pictured this part of the evening would go. I should know better by now, I suppose.”

Prompto kissed the end of his nose and shrugged. “What can I say? I want what I want when I want it.”

“So I’ve learned.” Ignis smiled fondly at him.

They got their suits cleaned up enough to send them out for cleaning, then decided it was time to get themselves clean as well.

Ignis had such a great shower. It was huge and completely tiled in large modern gray tiles, and had a clear glass door that opened out. The showerhead hung from the ceiling, so that when Prompto stood under it, it was like being in a warm rainstorm. He was lingering under it, facing the front wall, when he felt Ignis press a soapy washcloth to his back. He moved it in slow gentle circles, washing his entire body, neck to toes. Then he lovingly shampooed and conditioned Prompto’s hair. It was such an intimate and relaxing sensation, and something entirely new to him.

When Ignis was done, Prompto moved in to return the favor. He started with Ignis's hair, reaching up on his toes to scrub the shampoo into his scalp. Then he lathered up a clean washcloth with the handmade milk and honey soap that Ignis preferred. Slowly, he washed his shoulders and arms, lifting them up to get the tender undersides. Then he washed down his chest and abdomen, enjoying the sight of the soap sliding along Ignis's angles and curves. He knelt on the tile to wash his legs and feet, then turned him around to wash up the back of his legs.

Prompto took extra time washing Ignis's back, admiring the way his muscles flexed as he rolled his shoulders and tilted his neck side to side, working out some stiffness. Ignis hummed happily when Prompto brought the washcloth down to his backside. He spent a long time there, gently running the cloth over the curves of his cheeks, and teasing the line down the center. Ignis moaned and braced his hands against the shower wall, allowing the water to pour onto his neck and cascade down his back. Prompto stepped forward to press himself against Ignis's ass, his own arousal becoming very apparent. He reached around and teased the washcloth lightly along Ignis's growing length, and Ignis shuddered and sucked in a breath. Prompto leaned forward, twisting around the shower spray.

“Iggy,” he said quietly. “I think I’m ready.”

For a moment, Ignis didn’t move. Then he straightened and backed out of the shower spray, turning around to face Prompto. He pushed the water and hair out of his face and held his gaze, expression heated.

Prompto stood on his toes and wrapped his arms around Ignis's neck, and kissed him with as much feeling as he could manage. Ignis melted into it, pressing their bodies close. After several long moments he pulled back. “Go and get into bed,” he said. “I just need a moment.”

Prompto could feel heat spreading down his neck and abdomen, and his cock jumped at the depth of Ignis's voice. He nodded and stepped out, grabbing a fluffy white towel to dry himself off quickly. He wrapped the towel around his waist and exited the bathroom, closing the door gently behind him. Once in Ignis's bedroom he dropped the towel from his waist, put it in the laundry bin, and climbed into bed, naked and happy.

 -

Ignis toweled off his hair and looked in the mirror. He took a moment to still his rapid heartbeat, then pushed his hair out of his face, tossed the towel on the floor, and walked naked down the hall and into his bedroom.

Prompto was already under the covers up to his waist. He looked much more relaxed than Ignis felt. Ignis lingered in the doorway for a moment, drinking in the sight of him in his bed. Then Prompto smiled, flipped down the covers and reached out both arms, waving him over. “C’mere,” he said softly.

The whole gesture was just so _Prompto_ that he relaxed, a smile creeping across his lips. He took a deep breath, then ran the few steps to the bed and leapt up, belly flopping onto it. Prompto shrieked, “What the fuck!” and dissolved into an infectious laughter. Ignis found himself full belly laughing into his pillows.

When they calmed down, Ignis nestled under the covers and propped himself up on his side. Prompto rolled to face him and reached out to stroke his cheek, then down his shoulder and arm. He took hold of his hand and twined their fingers together. “I think I’m gonna need a little guidance,” he said.

Ignis brought their hands to his lips and kissed across Prompto’s knuckles. Then he nodded and rolled away to gather all the necessary items from his night stand. He pressed them into Prompto’s hands, and Prompto put them aside within reach. Then he was rolled onto his back and Prompto kissed him, gently at first, then with increasing heat. Prompto lavished attention on him, head to toe. He missed no inch of Ignis's skin with his hands or his mouth or his tongue. Ignis lost himself in it, closing his eyes and allowing his lover to take charge.

It was a long while before Prompto’s kisses made their way up Ignis's thighs, slow and hot. He nipped at the sensitive skin then soothed away the pain with his tongue. Ignis was sure he’d never been so hard before, and when Prompto ghosted his breath up his length he full-body shuddered. Prompto slid his clever fingers up his inner thighs and lightly teased his shorn balls, working backwards slowly and pressing his legs open with his elbows.

Ignis realized he had been thrusting his hips up against thin air and he stilled them as he heard Prompto open the bottle of lubricant. He was already breathing rapidly and he took a moment to consciously slow it down. He blinked open and looked up when Prompto spoke. “Ready?”

Ignis nodded, “Yes,” he said hoarsely.

Promptos fingers found his entrance and pressed against it and paused. “It’s alright,” Ignis said, and then Prompto slid a finger in and Ignis groaned, eyes fluttering shut and head falling back against the pillow. He guided Prompto through prepping him, but he seemed to need very little instruction. Ignis couldn’t help but to comment on it.

“I may have done a little research,” Prompto admitted, amusement in his voice.

“Gods bless the internet,” Ignis said, and then Prompto twisted his fingers just so and Ignis nearly lost all control. As Prompto worked his fingers against his walls, stretching him, hitting all his most sensitive spots, Ignis completely lost track of himself. He no longer cared what he looked like, or how he sounded. He just wanted Prompto as close as possible. With monumental effort, he said as much, and Prompto pulled his fingers out and wiped them on the soft cloth he’d placed nearby. He kissed a line all the way up his body, up his neck, and captured Ignis's mouth as he slowly lowered his weight to settle between his legs. He pulled back and smoothed Ignis's hair back out of his face. Prompto shifted to line himself up. “Tell me when,” he said.

“Five minutes ago,” Ignis replied and Prompto laughed softly and began to push himself in. Ignis focused at first on relaxing, but then all thought left him as Prompto worked slowly into him until he was fully seated.

Ignis opened his eyes in time to see Prompto take a shaky breath as he hovered above him. “All good?” Prompto asked.

“Incredible,” Ignis groaned, and Prompto took that as his cue to move. He was slow and gentle, playing with the depth and angle while watching Ignis's face carefully.

Ignis relaxed back into the bed and let himself go. It had been years since he’d done this, but he’d made sure to be ready for it almost as soon as they started dating. And being with Prompto was an entirely new experience. There was so much emotion behind every touch and every movement, it was almost overwhelming. He could tell he was wholly absorbed in giving Ignis pleasure.

Ignis closed his eyes and sunk deeper into the sensation. He whispered encouragements when something felt especially good, and before long Prompto found a steady rhythm, moving slow and deep, and Ignis opened his eyes to watch him. His breath seized in his chest. Prompto was so beautiful like this, in charge, confident, and giving Ignis all he had to give. He watched as Prompto went from watching his face intently, to closing his eyes with a furrowed brow as his breathing became more ragged. He rested his forehead on Ignis's, their breaths mingling as they moved together. “Iggy, you feel so good...so amazing,” he whispered, “so tight and hot, I can’t…”

Ignis was already teetering on the edge, even as his cock sat neglected on his belly. “It’s alright love, let yourself go, it’s okay,” Ignis assured him, but instead Prompto slowed and shifted back a bit, changing the angle. He leaned onto one hand and grabbed the lubricant with the other, pouring it one-handed into his palm. Then he took hold of Ignis's weeping cock and began to move again, stroking him in time with his thrusts, and Ignis knew nothing anymore, only the intense pleasure. He was fairly certain he was making uncharacteristically loud noises but he didn’t care. Everything was physical and emotional and so very beautiful all at once. His orgasm crashed over him so intensely that his ears started ringing, and it was several moments before he could hold a thought again.

When he came back to himself, he could feel that Prompto was resting bodily on top of him, breathing heavily and laying kisses on his chest. Ignis had a slow realization that Prompto must have finished at some point, because he felt hot and wet, as though he was going to leak, and there was something else hot and wet on his chest. It was Prompto, who had tears falling freely, and Ignis brought his hands to either side of Prompto’s face to look at him, smiling softly. Prompto sniffled and smiled. “I just love you so much,” he whispered, and then scooted up and buried his head in Ignis's neck.

He could feel Prompto softening and slipping out of him, so he wrapped his arms around his back and rolled them onto their sides, gathering him in his arms and holding him close. Prompto whimpered as he slipped out, and Ignis kissed his face all over, drowning him in words of love and praise. They lay like that for a long time before Prompto sighed and kissed his nose, then got out of bed and walked out of the room, coming back with a warm washcloth to clean Ignis up, and a cool glass of water for him to drink.

Ignis had never been taken care of this way and it made his heart swell. Prompto put the dirty linens in the laundry bin and climbed back into bed, pulling Ignis over and away from the wetness on the sheets. He rolled over and backed into Ignis's chest, pulling the covers up around them. Ignis draped his arm over him and pulled him as close as possible, placing kisses on his head and snuggling his face into his hair. “I love you darling. Thank you for everything. Thank you for loving me.”

Prompto simply hummed happily in reply and wiggled back against him, squeezing Ignis's arm, which was cradled against his chest.

Ignis smiled softly, thanking whatever force in the universe that had brought him to a small shabby coffee shop on a rainy May morning. He reached over to click off the lamp, then snuggled back down against Prompto’s back and fell asleep within minutes.


	13. Chapter 13

It was mid-March, so Prompto could definitely say he’d had the best winter of his life. Spring always brought out his most excitable and energetic state, and it was multiplied this year because he had the _Best Boyriend Everrrrrr._

He finished up his office work and packed up his bag and ukulele. Fridays were the best days, because they meant a whole weekend with Ignis lay before him. This Friday was even better than usual, because on Monday he was going to sign his business loan and be on the road to small business ownership. Maybe after all this was over, he’d take Ignis on one of the river cruises he always talked about. He’d finally be able to afford to splurge a little every once in awhile.

When he was all packed up, he shot a text to Ignis letting him know he’d be ready and waiting to head over when he was done for the day.

 

> [Ignis]: Could you actually come up to my office now? I think I’m going to need to leave early today, but I just need to finish a few things first.
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: yah you dont have to tell me twice. you feel ok?
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: I’ve...definitely felt better. I’ve a bit of a headache.
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: oh no! i will bring some painkillers
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: Thank you darling. See you soon.

 

Prompto grabbed both kinds of painkillers he had and tossed them in his overnight bag, and set out to walk the twelve blocks to Ignis's office.

The elevator ride was always a little uncomfortable. Insomnia Tower had a unique glass back elevator and Ignis worked on the 47th floor. Heights were not really his thing, so he always kept his gaze firmly on the doors and tried not to think about how high up he was. All the same, he was a little woozy when he stepped out into the lobby area for the fancy investment company. The receptionist greeted him and told him that Ignis was already on his way out. He stayed and chatted for a minute or two, leaning casually on the desk, until Ignis walked out of the polished wooden doors. Prompto’s greeting faltered on his lips.

He could immediately tell that something was wrong. Very wrong.

Ignis's face, as ever, was a carefully composed mask, but Prompto could see the tightness around the edges. He’d seen him with a headache before and this was either a mega migraine, or something else was going on. His anxiety spiked immediately, but he put on a smile and managed a weak, “Hey babe! Ready to get outta here?”

Ignis nodded shortly, said a quick goodbye to the receptionist, and called for an elevator. Prompto fidgeted while they waited, fighting the urge to nervous talk to dispel his rising anxiety. The wait seemed to go on forever, and when an elevator finally arrived, there were already half a dozen people in it, so Prompto had to stay silent for 47 floors on the way down. Once outside, past the main doors of the ground floor, he couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“Something’s wrong.”

Ignis was silent for a beat. “Did you bring the headache medications?”

“Oh, yeah. Just a sec.” He stopped at a bench to dig through the bag until he produced both bottles. “I got choices!”

“Bless you,” Ignis said, and he took two pills from each bottle and dry swallowed them, handing the bottles back to Prompto without a word.

 _Yikes,_ Prompto thought as he put the bottles back and shouldered the bag. They continued walking toward the subway stop. “Are...you gonna tell me what’s up?”

He could see the muscles around Ignis's eyes and jaw working for a few beats. “Yes, but I can’t here. I’m afraid it’ll have to wait until we get home.”

“Ok! It’s cool. It’s not like I have crippling anxiety about this sort of thing or anything,” Prompto said, trying to keep the real terror out of his voice.

Ignis stopped short and turned to him with an apologetic look. The people on the sidewalk behind them made snide comments as they had to halt suddenly and move around them. Ignis pulled him into an awkward hug and spoke into his ear. “I’m so sorry love, it’s work related and confidential. I love you.”

Prompto felt somewhat reassured and gave him a shaky smile and a nod. The rest of the commute to Ignis's apartment passed in tense silence.

As soon as they were through the door, Prompto dropped his bag, kicked off his shoes, and turned to Ignis with an expectant look. Ignis was still leaning against his closed door, fully dressed and holding his messenger bag. Prompto reached out and took it from him, leaning up to kiss him tentatively. To his surprise, Ignis quickly wrapped both arms around him and crushed their lips together. There was no heat behind the kiss, only a strange desperation that had Prompto even more worried than before.

He pulled back and gave Ignis a quizzical look. Ignis said, “let’s sit down,” so they walked over to the sofa and sat. Prompto waited.

“I received a summons from the CFO today. In one week, the company is announcing a move. The tax division will be moving to a different city, and they want me to be the director of the division. I’d be working directly under the CFO, who is less than ten years from retirement.”

“Holy shit dude. That’s...but isn’t that great? I mean. That sets you up for everything you want.”

Ignis closed his eyes and nodded. “It...does.”

Prompto swallowed. “So...what city?”

Ignis sighed and opened his eyes, looking at the coffee table. “Lestallum.”

“I...that’s…” Prompto stumbled over his words. Lestallum was all the way on the other side of the country. “...far.” He finished.

“Yes it is.”

Prompto sat in silence. He had no idea what to say. This certainly wasn’t on any of his worst case scenario lists.

This was way worse.

He worked at his bottom lip, not wanting to know the answer to his next question. But he forced himself to ask it anyway. “Did you accept?”

Ignis took a deep breath. “I have until next Friday to decide. The announcement happens at noon.”

He forced his breathing to be even. “And...are you going to?”

Ignis hung his head and took off his glasses, placing them on the coffee table. He rubbed at his temples. “If I don’t, I have no job after 31st of May.”

“Shit,” Prompto whispered.

“Yep.” Ignis said.

They sat together in silence, both wrapped up in their own thoughts and swirling emotions.

Suddenly Prompto pulled out his phone and checked the time. 4:47pm. He had 13 minutes. He dialed his bank. “Business loan division, please,” he said when they picked up.

“Prompto, don’t…” Ignis began, but Prompto put up a hand, silencing him.

When the loan officer picked up, Prompto forced out his professional voice. “Hello, my name is Prompto Argentum. I have an appointment for Monday at three and I need to reschedule it for Friday morning.” He quickly finished out the rescheduling and hung up the phone.

“Okay,” he said. “Now we have a week before anything is set in stone.”

“Prompto…” Ignis started, but Prompto interrupted him.

“Look. We both know we have to do this. The only question is whether or not we’re going to try a long distance relationship. I may be silly and a hopeless romantic and whatnot, but I’m not stupid. I know what this means.”

Ignis was silent.

“So,” he continued. “For one week. Just one, can we just...pretend this isn’t happening? We’ll make a decision on Friday. Until then, please... _please_ let’s just, have this week.”

Ignis hesitated. “What will we do on Friday?”

“I’ll meet you here, we’ll decide on a place for dinner, and we’ll talk about it. It’ll be like...our last big day before everything turns into planning madness.” _Or into nothingness,_ he left unsaid.

Ignis was silent for a few more moments. Then he took another shaky breath and let it out slowly, grabbed his glasses, and put them back on. He nodded and cleared his throat. “Very well. Agreed. What shall we do this weekend then?”

Prompto took a deep breath and fought back the lump in his throat. He silently thanked Ignis for giving him this gift, then he exhaled and put on a lopsided grin. _“Everything,”_ he said.


	14. Chapter 14

The week had gone unreasonably fast. It was already 10:00 in the morning on Friday. The day Prompto had dubbed the “Last Big Day.” Ignis had been staring at a blank document on his computer screen for an hour. He was ostensibly writing his acceptance letter, putting a postage stamp on his life, Lestallum bound. It was everything he’d been working toward since high school.

So why couldn’t he do it?

Sighing heavily, he wheeled his chair toward the window and looked out. It was a lovely day. Puffy white clouds floated across a deep blue sky, and the fruit trees in the courtyard below were in full bloom, perfuming the air with their heady scent.

Would there be fruit trees in Lestallum?

“Fuck.” He said out loud. He didn’t give two shits about fruit trees when it came down to it.

There would be no Prompto in Lestallum.

There wasn’t a single opaque wall in Ignis's office, but all the same he felt them closing in around him. His blood ran cold, then hot, then cold again. He started to sweat and his heart raced. Breathing felt difficult.

He hadn’t felt this way since college.

Ignis sat in a private office without a speck of privacy, and all he wanted to do was cry, rage, throw things until life made more sense, or no sense at all. He quickly wheeled back to his desk and rested his head in his hands, rubbing his temples and taking long, controlled breaths.

It would be okay, he told himself. They would work it out. They were so good together. He wanted to make it work. He would visit monthly, and bring Prompto out to see him whenever he could get time away from his shop. This was the plan he’d come up with the night before. He would bring it before Prompto today. He was sure Prompto would agree.

Wouldn’t he?

The plan made sense. It was practical, doable.

So why did he have this sick feeling in his stomach? Why did he have this irritating itch at the back of his mind as if he’d forgotten something very important?

_Because you know it will crush him._

Ignis clenched his jaw and fought for composure.

_He’ll wilt. And, in time, so will you._

Tears stung at the back of his eyes as all the pertinent memories he’d kept carefully gated and locked away broke forth. Prompto, dropping his overnight bag on Ignis's floor on a Friday night, chattering excitedly about ideas for the weekend. Prompto, sound asleep on his chest in the early hours of the morning, breathing softly. Prompto, clinging tightly to him on Sunday nights as the last train glided into the stop. And Ignis, his smile fading as the train pulled away, the familiar ache of loss settling into his stomach.

A tear rolled silently down his nose, landing on his keyboard and startling Ignis out of his reverie.

Anger flashed through him then. He was angry at himself, and at the world in general. This was ridiculous. Acting as if the world would collapse if he didn’t put three letters at the end of his name before the age of 35.

He straightened up and quickly wiped his palms across his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he squared his shoulders. “Sorry, uncle,” he said, and began typing. 

-

Prompto sat at the desk in front of the loan officer, spinning a pen in his hand. This was it. Three years of scrimping and saving and meticulously working his credit into something passable enough for a business loan. He now had a modest savings account, “favorable” credit, and a pre-approved set of terms that he’d been avoiding pulling the trigger on as long as possible. But it was the last day before it expired and he needed to sign the papers. He wanted to sign the papers. Right? This was everything he’d ever wanted.

_No._

_What?_

_No it’s not, you colossal ass._

“Do you have any questions, Mr. Argentum?”

_Yeah I do. How do you choose between two things you’ve wanted your whole life?_

“Uhhh, no, I’m just…”

_Wrong again, son._

_What even._

_There’s only one thing you’ve wanted your_ whole _life._

_Am I arguing with myself?_

_Only because you’re trying to avoid thinking about your need to be loved unconditionally._

_Ouch._

_The price of being self-aware. Speaking of, wake the fuck up, Prompto._

“Are you...okay?”

Prompto looked up to find the loan officer - Jillian, according to her name tag - giving him a very concerned look. He blinked, looked down at the papers, looked back up. Finally, he clicked his pen shut and set it down with a dull thud. He held her gaze and gave her a shaky smile. “Yeah. I am. But, I’m so sorry. I can’t do this.” He stood up and gathered his things.

“I’m sorry...you can’t...sign the papers?” Poor Jillian was horribly confused.

“I can’t. No.”

“Are...do you want to reschedule?”

Prompto tripped and caught himself on the chair as he tried to sidle away from the desk. “Uh, no. No I’m really sorry. True love. It’s love! I gotta go!” He booked it out of the bank, leaving a trail of very confused people in cubicles behind him.

He sprinted three full blocks toward one of his favorite takeout restaurants, which took him past the Uncommon Grounds, which made him pull up abruptly. _Shit._ He was going to have to call Molly. Today. Now, really. The thought terrified him. With shaking hands, he took out his phone and walked around the corner. But instead of Molly’s number, he pulled up Ignis's, and sent him a message.

 

> [Prompto]: Hey, I’m done a little early. When will you be home?
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: I actually left a bit early. I’m home now.
> 
>  
> 
> [Prompto]: Awesome! I’ll be by in a bit. Love you! <3
> 
>  
> 
> [Ignis]: I love you too. <3

 

He put his phone away and picked up a more reasonable jog. Once at the restaurant he ordered, quickly ducked next door for a bottle of the best bubbly he could find at a convenience store, hopped back to pick up his order, swung by his house for his ukulele and overnight bag, and headed for the subway. On the way, he swapped all the bags to hang off of one arm and slipped his phone out of his pocket to make the most uncomfortable call of his life.

 -

Ignis lit the last candle and blew out the match. Everything looked lovely. Champagne was chilling, and he had set the best table he could with what he had. All that was left was to wait for the pizza. _A dinner that’s a little bit me, a little bit him._ Prompto was probably going to be showing up with a plastered on smile, thinking this was a bittersweet meeting. But Ignis was all excitement. With one email he’d sealed their fate. Job refused, notice given, vacation request input, and office cleaned out, he was free from the oppressive _shouldshouldshould_ that had plagued him for two weeks. And Prompto didn’t yet know. He wouldn’t make him wait though. Ignis wanted to surprise him but he wasn’t so cruel as to draw it out.

Where was he, anyway? He checked the time on his phone. It had been fully forty minutes since his last text. Perhaps the subway was delayed. It was Friday afternoon, after all.

As if to answer his thoughts, there was a knock on his door. _Pizza or partner?_ He quickly strode over to answer it, to find Prompto breathless, holding half a dozen bags, and positively beaming. “Hey babe!” he said.

Ignis quickly grabbed a few of the bags and stepped aside to let him in, kissing his cheek as he passed by. “Hello yourself. I now understand the delay.” He sniffed. “Oh! Did you bring food? I’d ordered pizza.”

“Awwww! Hahah! I thought we were going to pick a place to go out!”

“As did I,” he said with a wry smile. “As it happened, I had something to say and I thought perhaps a more private setting would be appropriate.”

Prompto gave him a nervous glance. “Uh...I did too actually. Is yours bad?”

Ignis's stomach did a flip flop. “Is yours?”

Prompto chewed his lower lip. They were both still holding bags in the entryway, watching each other like they were in some sort of awkward standoff. “I...don’t know. I guess it depends on what you were going to say.”

“Same here, actually. Perhaps we’d better set these things down and come out with it.” Ignis wasn’t one for ambiguity, and this was making him increasingly uncomfortable.

Prompto nodded and slipped off his shoes, setting his ukulele down carefully and rounding the corner to the kitchen to put the food on the counter. Ignis placed the overnight bag next to the ukulele and peeked in the other bag. “You brought champagne?” That was...promising?

“Uhhh, yeah but it’s not as nice as the stuff you have out on the table,” Prompto called back.

Ignis went the long way round the kitchen to meet Prompto at the dining area, still holding the bagged bottle. “Prompto, what’s going on?”

“Well…” He paused, took a deep breath, then expelled it noisily. “I uh...I quit my job?”

For a moment, Ignis simply blinked at him. Several emotions flitted unguarded through his mind and, probably, across his face. Shock, horror, sadness, hope. Then he burst out laughing.

Prompto laughed uncertainly, confusion coloring his features. “Wait...what’s so funny?”

Ignis continued giggling, trying to get his composure back. “Nothing. It’s just…” He giggled again. “I quit _my_ job today.” He maintained a straight face for about two seconds and lost it again.

Prompto stood, frozen to the spot, his face betraying his working mind. “You...you _quit your job??_ ”

“Yes!” Ignis said, between giggles.

“Holy _shit.”_ Prompto breathed and then laughed a sort of unhinged hyena laugh, which made Ignis laugh even harder.

They continued on, grasping the backs of dining chairs, laughing until tears flowed and Ignis's abdominals ached. He wiped his eyes and stood up, trying to gain composure. _What dolts we are._

Prompto seemed to take his cue from Ignis and worked to get himself under control. Ignis stepped toward him, arms open, and Prompto immediately took his place there, wrapping his arms around his chest, hooking his hands on the back of his shoulders, and laying his head against Ignis's chest. He nuzzled in and whispered, “Wow. We’re idiots.”

Ignis laughed shortly. “I was just thinking the same.” He pulled Prompto in tighter. “So, how did Molly take it?”

“Well...technically I guess I didn’t quit. I got fired? I had to tell her that I didn’t sign the paperwork and I was backing out.”

“Oh dear.”

“Yep.”

“I take it, she didn’t take it well?”

“Not even a little. Understandably.”

Ignis nodded. “What did she say?”

“Not a lot. Just, ‘Are you fucking kidding me?’ and ‘I can’t deal with this right now,’ and ‘Don’t bother coming in on Monday.’”

Ignis sighed. “Well, I’d agree that you are quite jobless then.”

“And you really quit?”

“Yes. I gave notice, but I’ve such a stockpile of vacation that I’m cashing out some and taking the rest so that I won’t have to go back. I can tie up any loose ends from home.”

“How were you planning on living?”

“Savings, until I can find another job. That shouldn’t be too difficult. I hope.” He thought for a moment. “I suppose I could always become a cam boy, if all else fails.”

Prompto barked out a laugh. “You’d make bank as a cam boy. Maybe we could be a duo.”

“There’s an idea.” Ignis leaned down and laid a kiss on his forehead. “It’s a bad one, but it’s an idea.”

Prompto snorted, then sighed. “Look at us. Two jobless dudes in love.”

“Indeed.”

 -

They stood there, holding each other, until they had to break apart to answer for the pizza. Then something in the room shifted. The reality of it all started to seep into Prompto’s mind, settling into a knot in his stomach.

“But really though...what now?”

Ignis gazed at him for a few moments, considering. “I’m...not entirely sure. Perhaps…” his eyes brightened. “Cocoa.”

Prompto blinked, unsure he’d heard him right. “Cocoa? When we have two huge dinners here already?”

Ignis nodded emphatically. “Cocoa.” He turned and busied himself in the kitchen. Prompto watched him, dumbfounded. _But then_ , he considered, _maybe he has a point._

“Cocoa…” Prompto giggled. “Yeah.” It was over a cup of cocoa that they started this journey. It only seemed right that they do the same now, at this crossroads.

While Ignis worked on the drinks, Prompto sat at his customary spot at the table, staring out the large picture window that made up one whole wall in Ignis's apartment. After several minutes worrying at his lower lip, Prompto looked up to see Ignis handing him an absolutely gorgeous cup of cocoa, topped with whipped cream and...something orange?

He took a sip and marveled. “Holy SHIT Ignis this is the best cup of cocoa I have ever had! What is it?”

Ignis smiled. “Triple sec, extract of almond, and orange zest. Topped with candied orange peel.”

“You just have candied orange peel laying around? Wait. Of course you do.” Prompto drank greedily, leaving a mustache of whipped cream on his mouth when he looked up and grinned. “This is so good it could totally be a signature recipe at...the…”

Hang on. Hang on.

“Ignis…”

“Hm?” Ignis hummed, sipping from his own cup.

Prompto put down his cup. “This might be a little...what’s that word? Gauche! I think. But...how...much did you have saved up from your time at Insomnia?”

Ignis raised an eyebrow, his eyes brightening. “Quite..a lot actually. Enough. Do you...hmmmm.” Ignis tapped his lower lip with one finger, “It could just work. I do know tax law. Intimately.”

“And you’re amazing at combining flavors.”

“And I have experience managing personnel.”

“But...would you want to?”

“Yes.” Ignis replied so quickly he practically interrupted the end of his question. Prompto stood up abruptly and started pacing. His heart and thoughts were racing. Of course. Of course! This could totally work. It _would_ totally work. Only…his face fell. “Molly. I’m not sure she wants to speak to me anymore.” 

Ignis frowned, considering. “It would be more difficult to start fresh. And though the possibility should not be eliminated, I’m afraid you would have to at least try and speak with her. She is your friend, after all. Once the shock wears off, I’m sure she’ll understand.”

Prompto swallowed and nodded. Okay. But. Okay this could TOTALLY work. Could it? What if they broke up? What if he hated working with Ignis? What if Ignis hated working with _him?_ What if...his thoughts must have been showing because the next thing he knew, Ignis was standing in front of him, gently taking hold of his upper arms. He looked up into his eyes. Ignis was watching his face with a gentle sort of expression.

“Stay. Please. Stay here this weekend with me.” He gestured to the table. “We have an awful lot of take out to get through, and...perhaps many things to discuss. But, apart from all that,” Ignis closed the remaining distance between them and captured Prompto’s lips, sliding his hands up to gently cup his face. Prompto exhaled and relaxed into the kiss, but Ignis pulled away all too soon. “Aside from that, I can’t bear the thought of being apart just now.”

“Yeah,” Prompto replied breathlessly. And, cocoa forgotten, he wound his arms around Ignis's neck and pulled him back in to kiss him deeply. 

-

If Ignis was honest with himself, something he was occasionally, he’d never want Prompto to leave. Takeout forgotten - well perhaps not forgotten, but carelessly left on the counter to grow cold - jobless, on the cusp of an entirely different life plan...none of that mattered. With the sleepy weight of Prompto’s head on his bare chest, sated and calm, nothing seemed to be insurmountable. It made him wonder why he had wasted so much of his life _worrying_. His time with Prompto had taught him so many things. Spontaneity, the value of his own true personality, deeper compassion, the reflection of what cumbersome overthinking and worry looked like from the outside, and he was so thankful. So very grateful to have met his sunny heart-on-his-sleeve _other half._

What a sap he’d become. The phrase “other half” would have had him scoffing not even a year ago. Now he relished it. Tasted it on his tongue, along with _lover_ , and _darling_ , and _boyfriend_. His traitorous mind even floated _husband_ around, and while that gave him a thrill of anticipation and a tightness in his chest, he squelched it down quickly. Too soon. That’s what society thinks, isn’t it? Too soon. There’s a certain amount of time that has to pass.

He felt the gentle brush of Prompto’s fingers tracing lazy shapes on his chest. Taking a deep breath he closed his own hand over the top of Prompto’s and brought his fingers to his lips. “My love. I must confess something.”

Predictably, Prompto shifted his head to look up at him, concern etched across his features. “What’s up Iggy?”

“I am absolutely _starving_ and will launch you into the next room if it means I get to eat tepid slimy orange chicken.”

Prompto giggled and Ignis found himself suddenly pinned down by the full weight of him. “Ready for liftoff!”

Ignis arched an eyebrow, “Again?”

Oh how he never tired of the bright flush of cheeks against the spray of freckles. “That’s not what I meant!”

In reply, Ignis simply tickled him relentlessly until Prompto called for mercy and slid gracelessly back to the bed.

- 

Despite being _starving_ , Ignis insisted that the only proper way to heat up fried food was in the oven, so it happened that over the course of 20 minutes, they had both a hot dinner and a plan. Prompto would call Molly first thing tomorrow morning, apologize profusely, and offer to buy the shop outright with his new business partner. He’d beg for his job back in the meantime, Ignis would do all the remaining legwork on the legal and financial end during his two week notice, and hopefully they’d have a shop to run in a month.

“What about your apartment?” Ignis asked, gracefully scooping fried rice onto his chopsticks.

“I’ll still have to find a new one. My lease is up soon and the landlord is thrilled to finally be able to jack up the price for someone else. Commuting isn’t so bad though.”

Ignis poked at his food for a few moments before he said, “You could always stay here.”

Prompto was in the middle of a way-too-big bite of chicken. He made some kind of stunned noise and chewed as quickly as possible while Ignis looked at him, eyes searching, but also clearly trying not to laugh at his predicament. Why did it always seem to take forever to chew when this happened? He swallowed probably a bit too soon and winced as the food inched its way down his esophagus. His eyes watered.

Ignis chuckled, “Take your time. I know it’s a bit of a shocking proposal.”

Prompto sputtered and coughed, then grabbed for his water and took a huge swig while trying to calm himself. Shocking coming from Ignis maybe. Prompto had fantasized about living with Ignis since basically day one, but that’s because Prompto was a clingy, excitable, impulsive dork when it came to love. He decided to proceed cautiously to avoid fucking this up. He cleared his throat. “Proposal, eh?”

_Godsdammit Prompto._

Ignis coughed and opened his mouth to speak.

“Wait, no no I was just kidding,” he interrupted, half panicked. “Did you mean temporarily or permanently?”

Ignis paused, his cheeks dusted pink. “I...whatever you’re comfortable with, really.”

“But, what did you mean?” It was rare that Prompto pushed this much. But he had to know. _Had_ to know what Ignis meant. He couldn’t leave room for doubt to creep in.

Ignis cleared his throat and looked Prompto in the eye. “My offer was meant to be as permanent as we both will it to be.”

Prompto felt his face split into a huge doofy grin. Was this really happening? “So...you’re asking me to move in with you?”

“Yes. I am.” Ignis answered with his own huge smile.

-

The evening had been so beautiful in its simplicity. Things Ignis had rarely dared to dream seemed to be falling into place all at once. The future looked bright, promising, and exciting. _So why am I suddenly anxious?_ Propped up on his sofa, Prompto’s head resting in his lap as he lazily stroked his blonde locks and pretended to be watching some old SciFi film, Ignis felt himself begin to tense up.

What if Prompto was only agreeing because he felt compelled to by both situation and pressure from Ignis? Were they moving too quickly? There had to be a reason people considered anything under a year as foolish and impulsive. Ignis's own feelings were wholly unambiguous. The introduction of Prompto to his life had unequivocally been for the best. He was far more relaxed, more balanced, and learning things about himself and the world that he had never even considered before. Still, it was one thing to know his own heart, and another entirely to be sure of someone else’s.

Ignis shifted slightly. “Prompto.”

“Hm?” he didn’t look away from the movie, but at least he was awake.

“Are you quite sure you want to move here? I don’t want you to agree because of some pressure or coercion.”

Prompto sat up and shot Ignis a wide eyed look, then laughed. “Yeah dude. I’m sure. To be honest I’ve wanted to get married and have your babies since like before we were dating.” He chuckled awkwardly and fluffed his hair back into place.

Ignis snorted indelicately. “I know for a fact that you lack the equipment to do so. So you’re either being adorably hyperbolic,” He said, pulling Prompto forward, “or you managed to skip every one of your biology classes.” He placed a soft kiss on Prompto’s forehead.

“Aw man,” Prompto said, leaning into the kiss, “That’s what Mo said.”

“Mo is wise about a great many things,” Ignis replied. He wound his arms around his waist and pulled him sideways into his lap.

“Ooooooh hang on, I love this part!” Prompto turned to watch the climactic battle raging on the television.

Ignis tried to watch, he did. But Prompto’s words wouldn’t stop bouncing around in his head. This was how he wanted to spend every day. Doing anything and everything, so long as it was together. 

As the ragtag team of rebels secured their victory on the screen, Ignis felt Prompto breathe a shaky sigh against him. He peeked a glance around his narrow shoulders to see big blue glossy eyes. Prompto was near tears watching a film he’d claimed to have seen “a hundred times.”

Prompto glanced at him and color bloomed across his cheeks. “Eh, hehehe. Gets me every time.” He wiped at his eyes and blinked, then slid off of Ignis's lap to sit back down on the sofa.

“Prompto...what if we did?”

“Huh?” Prompto’s brows furrowed and his head turned to look at Ignis. “Did what?”

“Get married.”

His brows shot up. “What? Like now?”

Ignis could feel his own face heat up, “Don’t be ridiculous. There’s a mandatory three day waiting period for marriage licenses.”

“Oh,” Prompto said, considering. “Wait...how do you know that?”

 _Caught_ , Ignis thought. He adjusted his glasses and folded his arms. “I know everything.”

“I call bullshit.” Prompto poked him in the upper arm.

“Shall we finish the film?”

“Were you even watching it?”

 _Caught again._ Ignis smirked. “I was entertained.”

Prompto fixed him with a look of mock exasperation. He searched Ignis's eyes for a few moments, considering something, then straightened and cleared his throat. “Okay.”

Ignis waited for him to continue. But when a few beats passed and Prompto was still looking at him expectantly, he said, “Okay...what?”

“Okay, let’s do it. Let’s buy a business, move in together, and get married. I want to. I have...basically this whole time.”

Ignis's heart began to race, and he stared at Prompto in shock and anticipation. After a protracted moment, he finally regained control. _Unreal. Is this happening?_ This time yesterday Ignis had teetered on the edge of moving away to further his career in accounting. _Accounting._ Now he was facing the prospect of owning a small business and having a fiancé in a mere matter of hours. _I must be completely unhinged. This isn’t me._ Or was it? Maybe everything in his life up until this moment had been a direct result of the carefully crafted facade he maintained.

 _There’s no maybe about it, Ignis._ He had never felt so comfortable, so happy, so _himself_ as when he was around Prompto. He wasn’t unhinged. He was home. Realizing his mouth had been hanging open, he snapped it shut and took a deep breath, composing his face. “Very well. I accept your proposal.”

“My proposal?? Wait, no, it was your idea!”

“Certainly not. I’m far too reasonable to elope with someone I met less than a year ago.”

“Mooooore bullshit,” Prompto sang.

“Perhaps,” Ignis said with a smirk.

Prompto’s eyes narrowed and then he sighed  dramatically. “Fine. You can tell everyone I proposed, if you tell me why you know about the marriage license thing.”

Ignis pretended to consider carefully. Finally, he nodded. “Very well. I looked it up.”

“When?”

“Three months ago,” he said, and shrugged. “I was curious.”

“And what, _pray tell_ ,” Prompto asked in his best Ignis voice, “piqued your curiosity”

“Well,” Ignis said, sliding his hands under Prompto’s shirt and tracing along his sides, “A lovely blonde walked into my life, and one day I found myself wondering how the whole thing worked on a logistical level. I do abhore not knowing things.”

“Holy shit,” Prompto breathed. “You were ready to put a ring on it!”

Ignis laughed. “It would seem so.” He paused and thought a moment. If they were really going to do this, he ought to address everything outright. “As for the babies…” Promptos face went a deep shade of red and he fidgeted. “I’m sure you’ll be a wonderful father. Someday. But perhaps we should start with a cat.”

Prompto’s eyes widened and searched Ignis's own. “We can get a cat??”

Ignis laughed and pulled him firmly into an embrace. Planting a kiss on top of Prompto’s head, his eyes begin to burn. His chest felt fit to burst. All he wanted to do was hold him here, just like this, forever. But Prompto squirmed back, pausing to look at Ignis's face. “Hey, you ok?”

“More than,” Ignis replied and kissed him gently. “Just overwhelmed. In a good way.”

His face split into a grin. “You know what this calls for?” Without waiting for Ignis's reply, he slipped off his lap and skipped over to get his ukulele. “Singing time!”

Ignis laughed and reached for the remote to switch off the television. “I do love it when you serenade me.”

Prompto laughed and got out the instrument, giving it a tentative strum to test the tuning. He cleared his throat and strummed a few warm up chords, then he started to play an upbeat folky melody.

It took a moment for Ignis to recognize the song. He laughed when he finally did, and the thick feeling in his throat returned as Prompto sang the final verse.

 

> _It might sound silly_
> 
> _For me to think childish thoughts like these_
> 
> _But I'm so tired of acting tough_
> 
> _And I'm gonna do what I please_
> 
> _Let's get married!_
> 
> _In a big cathedral by a priest_
> 
> _'Cause if I'm the man that you love the most_
> 
> _You could say "I do" at least_
> 
>  
> 
> _Well it's 1 2 3 4_
> 
> _Take the elevator_
> 
> _At the hotel Yorba_
> 
> _I'll be glad to see you later_
> 
> _All they got inside is vacancy_
> 
>  
> 
> _And it's 4 5 6 7_
> 
> _Grab your umbrella_
> 
> _Grab a hold of me_
> 
> _'Cause I'm your favourite fella_
> 
> _All they got inside is vacancy_


	15. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three Years Later

They sat, frazzled, exhausted, and happy among the detritus the party had left behind. It was almost 3am and Prompto had been running on fumes for at least an hour. Scratch that, make it the past three weeks. In the chair next to him, Ignis sighed and raised his champagne flute. “Happy new year, love. We did it.”

Prompto raised his own in a toast and clanked the plastic flute to Ignis's. “I can’t believe we made every stretch goal.”

“All thanks to your brilliant planning.”

“And your even more brilliant budgeting!”

Ignis hummed and smiled over his glass. “It seems we make a good team.”

“Indeed,” Prompto grinned.

Ignis huffed a laugh, then sighed heavily. “I suppose we ought to clean this up.” He gestured around the shop with his champagne. “Perhaps next year, we skip the confetti.”

Prompto chuckled. “It seemed like a super fun idea at the time.” He put his glass down and rested his head on his arms, just for a minute, he told himself. He closed his eyes smiled sleepily, a swelling of pride bubbling in his chest.

With the funds they raised tonight - added to the profits from the shop they’d set aside - they’d not only be able to provide after school activities for Queer youth, they would also be able to hire counseling services for youth and family support groups. The community that Prompto had built over his years at Uncommon Grounds had come through for them. He was finally able to admit that he had a way with people, and great ideas for fundraising activities. Ignis had the mind for logistics, and flawlessly brought Prompto’s ideas to life. He’d carefully crafted their budget both at the shop and at home, and somehow they lived a life of modest comfort while turning a tidy profit at their little shop.

He opened his eyes to look at his husband, only to find Ignis watching him with a soft smile. He reached out and smoothed an errant piece of hair away from Prompto’s face, then leaned down to press a kiss to his temple. “Perhaps we leave the cleaning for the morning. Come, let’s get you home to bed.”

Ignis tugged on his arm and Prompto made a show of groaning and dragging himself to his feet, only to stumble _totally on accident_ and land straddling Ignis's lap with an exaggerated “Oh no I fell.”

Ignis laughed heartily and wound his arms around his waist, tugging him closer. “We’ll never make it home at this rate.” He kissed Prompto slowly, deeply, then pulled back and hummed. “You know what we’ve never done?”

Prompto made an exaggerated gasp. “Scandal! Also...eew. So many butts have been on these chairs.”

Ignis's eyebrows shot up. “Whatever do you mean? I was simply going to say we’ve never watched the sun rise over the new year.” He said, far too innocently.

“You’re so full of shit your eyes are turning brown, you dirty boy.”

Ignis's facade cracked and he laughed. “Yes okay, let’s go and get the car and go home.”

“To _sleep,_ ” Prompto said emphatically.

Ignis smirked. “We’ll see,” he said in that voice that told Prompto he knew he’d get his way. Prompto stood and turned around, sighing happily. All this was his. Theirs. They’d taken it and made it their own. He felt like he was living some sort of dream. Smiling, he left the mess to deal with later, and went around to turn off the lights.

“Cocoa will be furious with us for leaving her all night,” Ignis said as he held Prompto’s coat open so he could slip it on.

“Oh yeah. No chance she’s gonna let us off the hook for her 5am breakfast.”

Ignis groaned. “Perhaps it’s time I move the programmable cat food bowl to the top of the budget.”

“I’ve been saying that for months!” Prompto laughed.

And so, in the wee hours of another new year together, they left their shop, locked up, and walked to their car hand in hand on a perfectly clear night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who stuck with this story to the end! I really appreciate each and every reader so so much. I hope you enjoyed this fluffy tropey ride!


End file.
